M2.8 earthquake 15km SE of Malibu, CA

A magnitude 2.8 earthquake struck 15km SE of Malibu, CA on Sat, Dec 25, 2021, 4:19 PM PST (00:19 UTC), 14 km (9 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.9 10km NW of Santa Paula, 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
2.76	ML, local (Richter)	Southern California Seismic Network	Preferred · Final · ±0.207 · 25 stations
2.7	ML, local (Richter)	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Reviewed · ±0.04 · 83 stations

19 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was III, weak shaking.

Reviewed by a seismologist.

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

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 81 in the 60 days after this one and 16 in the 30 days before it.

The first 60 of 81.

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci39896439 (also filed as us6000gfb9). Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 4:24 AM UTC.