M2.8 earthquake 32 km SW of Dana Point, California, United States
A magnitude 2.8 earthquake struck 32 km SW of Dana Point, California, United States at 13:23 local time (20:23 UTC) on 5 Oct 2026, at a depth of 17 km, according to USGS.
revised from M2.8 · 3 reports to USGS “Did You Feel It?”
Data: USGS · updated 2026-10-05 21:21 UTC · reviewed
- Magnitude
- 2.8micro
local magnitude (Richter) (ml)
revised from 2.8 - Depth
- 16.6 km
- Status
- Reviewed
- Origin time
- 2026-10-05 20:23:41 UTC
- Local: 5 Oct 2026, 13:23:41 (America/Los Angeles)
- Epicentre
- 33.265° N, 117.939° W
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Circles show this event and others within 30 km from 7 days before to 30 days after. Lines: plate boundaries and GEM active faults. Open on the live map
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Est. shaking |
|---|---|---|
| Dana PointCalifornia, United States · pop. 34,181 | 32 km | INot felt |
| Laguna BeachCalifornia, United States · pop. 23,365 | 34 km | INot felt |
| Laguna NiguelCalifornia, United States · pop. 65,806 | 35 km | INot felt |
| San ClementeCalifornia, United States · pop. 65,526 | 36 km | INot felt |
| IrvineCalifornia, United States · pop. 256,927 | 46 km | INot felt |
| Santa AnaCalifornia, United States · pop. 310,227 | 54 km | INot felt |
| Long BeachCalifornia, United States · pop. 474,140 | 61 km | INot felt |
| AnaheimCalifornia, United States · pop. 350,742 | 64 km | INot felt |
Shaking is an estimate from the intensity prediction equation of Allen, Wald & Worden (2012), not an observation. Local ground and buildings can change it by a level or more.
Every agency's solution
Agencies locate earthquakes with their own stations and methods, so their numbers differ. We match reports of the same event by time, distance and magnitude and show them side by side. The headline uses USGS · CI, which has been reviewed by an analyst.
| Agency | Magnitude | Depth | Epicentre | Time offset | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USGS · CIheadlineSouthern California Seismic Network via U.S. Geological Survey | 2.8 mlwas 2.8 | 16.6 km | 33.27° N, 117.94° W | – | Reviewed · 3 revisions |
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How big was it?
Usually not felt. Recorded by nearby seismometers; thousands occur worldwide every day.
It released roughly the energy of 247 kg of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step means about 32 times more energy and 10 times larger waves on a seismogram. Depth matters too: at 17 km this was a shallow earthquake, which is felt more strongly at the surface than a deeper one of the same size.
M2.8 releases about 33× the energy of M1.8, and its waves are about 10× taller on a seismogram. Energy: 247 kg of TNT vs 8 kg of TNT.
Each square is the energy of one M1.8. Energy from log₁₀E = 1.5M + 4.8.
Aftershocks and nearby activity
1 later earthquake within 30 km; the largest was M2.3 6 min ago. 1 in the 7 days before. Aftershock rates usually fall off roughly in proportion to 1/time.
Mainshock M2.8
1 later earthquake nearby. Aftershock rates typically fall off roughly as 1/time (Omori's law).
| Time after mainshock (hours) | Magnitude | Depth (km) |
|---|---|---|
| 1.71 | 2.3 | 12 |
Did you feel it?
Reports from people help show where shaking was strong. They are anonymous and shown here in aggregate.
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Event id ci41343775. First recorded here 5 Oct 2026, 20:26:26 UTC. Solutions: USGS · CI (usgs:ci41343775). Cite as: SeismoAtlas, “M2.8 earthquake 32 km SW of Dana Point, California, United States”, https://seismoatlas.com/earthquake/ci41343775-m2-8-earthquake-32-km-sw-of-dana-point-california-united-states, data from USGS.
JSON: /api/v1/events/ci41343775. SeismoAtlas is not an official warning service.