QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.1ml

Earthquake near Avila Beach, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Avila Beach in the 24 hours to 1:17 pm PST (21:17 UTC). The last one was M 1.6, 4 km (2 mi) NNE, at 11:05 pm PDT on 7 June 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Avila Beach

This page: a magnitude 3.1 earthquake was recorded 8 km (5 mi) northwest of Avila Beach, CA, at 12:05 pm PST on 27 December 2023 (20:05 UTC), 6.2 km deep. 145 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 8 km NW of Avila Beach, CA

46 km (28 mi) NW of Santa Maria, CA

12:05 pm PST, Dec 27, 2023 · · 6.2 km deep · released about 1,200 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Avila Beach Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N San Luis Obispo County 35 kmSanta Barbara County 103 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
12:05 pm PST on 27 December 2023 ()
Where
8 km (5 mi) northwest of Avila Beach, CA · earthquakes near Avila Beach
Magnitude
M 3.1 (ml)
Depth
6.2 km below the surface
Felt
145 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Nearest
San Luis Obispo County, 35 km ENE
Nearest mapped fault
Los Osos fault, 6 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 745 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 40 km (25 mi) from the epicentre. In Avila Beach, 8 km away, the estimate is intensity III (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.

Likely felt in: Los Osos 9 km, intensity III · Cayucos 25 km, intensity II · Atascadero 30 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1,200 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.1 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 280,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 12,000× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 8,800× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.1 about 1,200 lb of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 1.3× more

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. 5.7 Southwest of Cambria, California · 48 km NW of this epicentre
  2. 5.0 5 km SSW of Nipomo, California · 37 km SE 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 35.2355, -120.7840. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
San Luis Obispo County, CA 35 km (22 mi) ENE earthquakes near San Luis Obispo County
Santa Barbara County, CA 103 km (64 mi) SE earthquakes near Santa Barbara County
Monterey County, CA 122 km (76 mi) NNW earthquakes near Monterey County
Kings County, CA 128 km (79 mi) NE earthquakes near Kings County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 3.5 7 km SW of Atascadero, CA
  2. 1.5 7 km W of Atascadero, CA
  3. 1.9 15 km N of Cayucos, CA
  4. 2.4 10 km ENE of Cayucos, CA
  5. 1.7 16 km E of Cambria, CA
  6. 1.6 6 km ESE of Atascadero, CA
  7. 1.5 3 km NW of San Luis Obispo, CA
  8. 1.8 27 km W of Guadalupe, CA
  9. 1.9 8 km WNW of Atascadero, CA
  10. 3.0 7 km WSW of Atascadero, CA
  11. 2.4 7 km WSW of Atascadero, CA
  12. 2.1 14 km ESE of Paso Robles, CA
  13. 2.3 26 km NE of Nipomo, CA
  14. 1.8 12 km W of Templeton, CA
  15. 1.8 9 km WSW of Atascadero, 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.