M3.4 earthquake 26km SSE of Malibu, CA

A magnitude 3.4 earthquake struck 26km SSE of Malibu, CA on Thu, Jul 30, 1981, 4:56 AM PDT (11:56 UTC), 1 km (1 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
3.36	ML, local (Richter)	Southern California Seismic Network	Preferred · Reviewed · ±0.154 · 9 stations
3.6	ML, local (Richter)	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Reviewed

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

FELT AT HERMOSA BEACH.

From the USGS event page for ci520271. 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 42 in the 30 days before it.

The first 60 of 195.

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci520271 (also filed as usp0001f13). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 12:12 PM UTC.