M2.2 earthquake 1km SW of Placentia, CA
A magnitude 2.2 earthquake struck 1km SW of Placentia, CA on Sun, May 7, 1939, 2:26 AM GMT-8 (10:26 UTC), 6 km (4 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M2.5 10km SW of Rancho Palos Verdes, CA. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 2.2 (ml), micro
- Local time
- UTC
- 1939-05-07 10:26:22 UTC
- Depth
- 6.0 km (3.7 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 33.867° N, 117.876° W
- Region
- California
- 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 2.9 km horizontally, 31.6 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.27
- Depth from
- Operator assigned
- Station coverage gap
- 246°, 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: 11 in the 60 days after this one and 7 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 2.14km SE of Los Alamitos, CA · 31910 days ago · 6 km deep · 18 km away
- 2.510km SW of Rancho Palos Verdes, CA · 31908 days ago · 6 km deep · 59 km away
- 2.511km ENE of Trabuco Canyon, CA · 31905 days ago · 6 km deep · 41 km away
- 3.58km SW of Big Bear Lake, CA · 31898 days ago · 8 km deep · 91 km away
- 2.12km WSW of Artesia, CA · 31897 days ago · 6 km deep · 21 km away
- 2.14km WNW of Los Alamitos, CA · 31896 days ago · 6 km deep · 22 km away
- 2.86km NW of Norco, CA · 31895 days ago · 6 km deep · 27 km away
- 2.115km SSW of Seal Beach, CA · 31895 days ago · 6 km deep · 38 km away
- 3.16km SW of Riverside, CA · 31892 days ago · 0 km deep · 41 km away
- 2.119km SSW of Newport Beach, CA · 31884 days ago · 6 km deep · 47 km away
- 2.413km S of Avalon, CA · 31883 days ago · 6 km deep · 82 km away
Before
- 2.44km S of Highland, CA · 31918 days ago · 6 km deep · 66 km away
- 2.81km N of Lakewood, CA · 31927 days ago · 6 km deep · 24 km away
- 2.722km WSW of Dana Point, CA · 31933 days ago · 6 km deep · 55 km away
- 2.514km SW of Huntington Beach, CA · 31935 days ago · 6 km deep · 36 km away
- 2.12km WNW of Lomita, CA · 31939 days ago · 6 km deep · 43 km away
- 2.630km WSW of Rancho Palos Verdes, CA · 31943 days ago · 6 km deep · 79 km away
- 2.912km NE of Trabuco Canyon, CA · 31945 days ago · 6 km deep · 36 km away
Earthquakes todayCalifornia earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci3364993. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 11:19 AM UTC.