M3.8 earthquake 28km SSE of Malibu, CA

A magnitude 3.8 earthquake struck 28km SSE of Malibu, CA on Wed, Jul 29, 1981, 4:39 PM PDT (23:39 UTC), 5 km (3 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.5 11km NNW of Santa Barbara Is., CA. This one was a foreshock.

Map

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

Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.

Mag.	Scale	Computed by	Notes
3.8	ML, local (Richter)	Southern California Seismic Network	Preferred · Reviewed · ±0.117 · 14 stations
3.9	ML, local (Richter)	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Reviewed

The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.

FELT (III) AT HAWTHORNE, MALIBU AND SEAL BEACH. ALSO FELT AT CENTURY CITY, PASASENA, REDONDO BEACH AND SANTA MONICA.

From the USGS event page for ci520258. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

Reviewed by a seismologist.

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

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 195 in the 60 days after this one and 29 in the 30 days before it.

The first 60 of 195.

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci520258 (also filed as usp0001f0t). Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 5:16 PM UTC.