QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.1ml

Earthquake near Los Angeles, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Los Angeles in the 24 hours to 4:20 am PST (12:20 UTC). The last one was M 3.2, 30 km (19 mi) S, at 12:44 am PDT on 9 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 1,090 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Los Angeles

This page: a magnitude 2.1 earthquake was recorded 33 km (20 mi) west-northwest of Los Angeles, CA, at 1:38 pm PDT on 17 April 2026 (20:38 UTC), 18 km deep. 11 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 2 km NNW of Tarzana, CA

23 km (15 mi) NW of Los Angeles, CA · 19 km (12 mi) ESE of Simi Valley, CA

1:38 pm PDT, Apr 17, 2026 · · 18 km deep · released about 40 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Los Angeles Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Los Angeles County 27 kmVentura County 56 kmOrange County 92 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
1:38 pm PDT on 17 April 2026 ()
Where
33 km (20 mi) west-northwest of Los Angeles, CA · earthquakes near Los Angeles
Magnitude
M 2.1 (ml)
Depth
18 km below the surface
Felt
11 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Los Angeles County, 27 km E
Nearest mapped fault
Sierra Madre fault, 12 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 208 days ago

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

At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Los Angeles, 33 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Hidden Hills, Topanga, Agoura, Oak Park, Santa Monica, Agoura Hills.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 40 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.1 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 380,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 270,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 24× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.1 about 40 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.7 on 2024-09-12 — about 8,900 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 22 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.7 Northridge, California, earthquake · 3 km NE of this epicentre
  2. 6.6 1971 San Fernando Earthquake, California · 30 km NE of this epicentre
  3. 5.9 The 1987 Whittier Narrows, California Earthquake · 46 km ESE of this epicentre
  4. 5.9 1km ENE of Granada Hills, California · 11 km NNE of this epicentre
  5. 5.8 10km SSW of Agua Dulce, CA · 30 km NE 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 34.1910, -118.5575. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Los Angeles County, CA 27 km (17 mi) E earthquakes near Los Angeles County
Ventura County, CA 56 km (35 mi) WNW earthquakes near Ventura County
Orange County, CA 92 km (57 mi) SE earthquakes near Orange County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.5 6 km WSW of Malibu, CA
  2. 2.6 9 km SW of Valencia, CA
  3. 1.6 2 km WSW of Hermosa Beach, CA
  4. 1.6 5 km NNW of Chatsworth, CA
  5. 2.5 3 km N of Gardena, CA
  6. 1.9 4 km SSW of Castaic, CA
  7. 1.6 2 km ESE of Century City, CA
  8. 2.2 2 km N of Culver City, CA
  9. 1.5 5 km S of Encino, CA
  10. 2.4 4 km W of Santa Monica, CA
  11. 1.7 14 km W of Malibu, CA
  12. 1.8 8 km WNW of Malibu, CA
  13. 1.9 12 km WNW of Malibu, CA
  14. 1.6 12 km WNW of Malibu, CA
  15. 1.6 1 km WNW of Universal City, 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.