QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.5ml

Earthquake near San Clemente, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in San Clemente in the 24 hours to 4:31 am PST (12:31 UTC). The last one was M 3.5, 35 km (21 mi) WSW, at 1:22 pm PDT on 5 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 126 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near San Clemente

This page: a magnitude 2.5 earthquake was recorded 48 km (30 mi) southwest of San Clemente, CA, at 8:39 am PDT on 29 April 2025 (15:39 UTC), 2.4 km deep. 3 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 47 km SSW of Dana Point, CA

50 km (31 mi) SW of San Clemente, CA · 114 km (71 mi) SSE of Los Angeles, CA

8:39 am PDT, Apr 29, 2025 · · 2.4 km deep · released about 140 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near San Clemente Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Orange County 67 kmSan Diego County 107 km
Distance rings around the epicentre, with the nearest towns at their true direction and later quakes as coloured dots. Not a shaking map — see the USGS ShakeMap for that.
When
8:39 am PDT on 29 April 2025 ()
Where
48 km (30 mi) southwest of San Clemente, CA · earthquakes near San Clemente
Magnitude
M 2.5 (ml)
Depth
2.4 km below the surface
Felt
3 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Orange County, 67 km N
Nearest mapped fault
San Diego Trough fault, 1 km from its surface trace — near is not the same as on
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 489 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 21 km (13 mi) from the epicentre. In San Clemente, 48 km away, the estimate is intensity II (weak). Estimated from magnitude, depth and distance with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses; felt reports, where there are any, are the measurement.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 140 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 110,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 75,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 6.7× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.5 about 140 lb of TNT

Energy from the Gutenberg–Richter relation (log10E = 1.5M + 4.8), rounded to two figures; bar length is magnitude, which is already a logarithm of energy. Magnitudes of past earthquakes from the USGS catalogue.

For this area

No earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded within 50 km since our catalogue begins in 2016.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 2 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.8 11km NNE of San Clemente Is. (SE tip), CA · 41 km WSW of this epicentre
  2. 5.5 The 1986 Oceanside, California Earthquake · 13 km SSE of this epicentre

Since 2016: the QuakeIndex catalogue (US, M1.5+), built from the USGS FDSN event service. Before 2016: USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900. Distances are between epicentres. This is the record, not a forecast.

Where

Epicentre 33.0828, -117.9178. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Orange County, CA 67 km (42 mi) N earthquakes near Orange County
San Diego County, CA 107 km (66 mi) E earthquakes near San Diego County

Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.

Aftershocks so far

47 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.

  1. 1.5 31 km SW of Dana Point, CA
  2. 1.4 23 km WSW of Encinitas, CA
  3. 2.3 31 km SW of Dana Point, CA
  4. 2.1 32 km SW of Dana Point, CA
  5. 2.1 31 km SW of Dana Point, CA
  6. 2.5 31 km SW of Dana Point, CA
  7. 2.8 32 km SW of Dana Point, CA
  8. 3.5 31 km SW of Dana Point, CA
  9. 2.3 46 km WSW of Carlsbad, CA
  10. 2.4 29 km SSW of Dana Point, CA
  11. 1.4 31 km SW of Dana Point, CA
  12. 1.8 28 km ESE of Avalon, CA
  13. 2.1 27 km ESE of Avalon, CA
  14. 2.0 27 km ESE of Avalon, CA
  15. 2.0 27 km ESE of Avalon, CA

Counted from the QuakeIndex database, which ingests the USGS feed every 30 seconds · as of . QuakeIndex does not forecast aftershocks. When USGS issues an operational aftershock forecast it appears on the USGS event page.

On USGS

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.