California earthquakes

M4.2 earthquake 13km NE of Simi Valley, CA

A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck 13km NE of Simi Valley, CA on Mon, Jan 28, 2002, 9:53 PM PST (05:53 UTC), 14 km (9 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.6 33km NW of Santa Barbara Is., CA. This one was a foreshock.

Stevenson Ranch forecast More in California

Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 4.2 (ML, local (Richter)), light
Magnitude from: Southern California Seismic Network
Local time: Mon, Jan 28, 2002, 9:53 PM PST
UTC: 2002-01-29 05:53:28 UTC
Depth: 13.7 km (8.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 34.361° N, 118.657° W
Region: California
Felt reports: 2,106
Strongest shaking: V, moderate shaking
PAGER alert: Green
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Magnitude estimates

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
4.18	ML, local (Richter)	Southern California Seismic Network	Preferred · Final · ±0.24 · 94 stations
4.2	mb, body-wave	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Reviewed · 8 stations

What happened

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

Felt (IV) at Camarillo, Canoga Park, Chatsworth, Encino, Fillmore, Moorpark, Newhall, Northridge, Oak Park, Reseda, Santa Clarita, Simi Valley, Stevenson Ranch, Thousand Oaks, Valencia and Winnetka; (III) at Agoura Hills, Calabasas, Canyon Country, Castaic, Granada Hills, Los Angeles, Malibu, Newbury Park, North Hollywood, Oxnard, Pacific Palisades, Santa Monica, Santa Paula, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Sylmar, Tarzana, Topanga, Van Nuys, Ventura, West Hills, West Hollywood, Westlake Village and Woodland Hills. Felt in Los Angeles, Orange, Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties.

From the USGS event page for ci9753485. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.

Shaking

The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.

Strongest estimated: V, moderate shaking
Map: Automatic

USGS ShakeMap: estimated shaking intensity around the epicenter — Estimated shaking intensity. Map: USGS ShakeMap.

Did you feel it?

2,106 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was V, moderate shaking.

Estimated impact

The USGS PAGER system estimates deaths and economic losses from the shaking and the population and buildings exposed to it.

Alert level: Green: little or no damage or loss of life expected

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 0.3 km horizontally, 0.6 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.24
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 18°
Stations used: 87

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 192 in the 60 days after this one and 48 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 192.

Before

Earthquakes today California earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci9753485 (also filed as ci09753485, usp000axcg). Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 10:22 AM UTC.