California earthquakes

M2.6 earthquake 11km ESE of Avalon, CA

A magnitude 2.6 earthquake struck 11km ESE of Avalon, CA on Sun, Sep 18, 1938, 3:43 AM GMT-8 (11:43 UTC), 6 km (4 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M2.6 8km ENE of Avalon, CA. This one was a foreshock.

Avalon forecastMore in California

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
2.6 (ml), micro
Local time
UTC
1938-09-18 11:43:26 UTC
Depth
6.0 km (3.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter
33.302° N, 118.225° W
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty
About 4.7 km horizontally, 31.6 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.01
Depth from
Operator assigned
Station coverage gap
317°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
3

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 13 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 2.68km ENE of Avalon, CA · 32138 days ago · 6 km deep · 9 km away
  2. 2.75km NW of Yorba Linda, CA · 32133 days ago · 6 km deep · 78 km away
  3. 2.72km SE of Century City, CA · 32099 days ago · 6 km deep · 85 km away
  4. 1.93km ENE of Newport Beach, CA · 32094 days ago · 6 km deep · 48 km away

Before

  1. 2.03km NW of Signal Hill, CA · 32146 days ago · 6 km deep · 58 km away
  2. 3.01km NE of Rolling Hills Estates, CA · 32147 days ago · 6 km deep · 56 km away
  3. 2.42km N of Norco, CA · 32148 days ago · 25 km deep · 96 km away
  4. 2.413km SSW of Laguna Beach, CA · 32156 days ago · 6 km deep · 38 km away
  5. 2.217km WSW of Newport Beach, CA · 32157 days ago · 6 km deep · 31 km away
  6. 2.12km SW of Placentia, CA · 32158 days ago · 6 km deep · 70 km away
  7. 2.53km SE of Carson, CA · 32162 days ago · 6 km deep · 57 km away
  8. 3.14km W of Palos Verdes Estates, CA · 32164 days ago · 6 km deep · 58 km away
  9. 4.34km NNE of San Pedro, CA · 32164 days ago · 6 km deep · 52 km away
  10. 2.93km WNW of Rossmoor, CA · 32166 days ago · 6 km deep · 56 km away
  11. 2.47km W of Norco, CA · 32166 days ago · 6 km deep · 90 km away
  12. 2.27km WSW of Seal Beach, CA · 32166 days ago · 6 km deep · 46 km away
  13. 2.429km SE of Avalon, CA · 32175 days ago · 6 km deep · 20 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci3364754. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:31 AM UTC.