Earthquake damage in Long Beach from the 1933 Earthquake. Contributed by the Griffin Family, courtesy of U.S. Geological Survey.
NOTE: In the event of an earthquake, the safest place to be is not in a doorway, but under a table or desk.
Also see:
-- Probability of an Earthquake in the Los Angeles Region
-- Los Angeles is Moving.
Also see: Great Fort Tejon Earthquake, 1857
Magnitude 4.9 or Larger
| Year | Date | Location | Time | Richter Measure* | Mercalli Measure† | Deaths & Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1769 | Jul 28 | Los Angeles Area | --- | 6.0 | VIII | No information |
| 1812 | Dec 8 | Los Angeles Area | 3:00pm | 7.0 | VII | 40 deaths, Mission San Juan Capistrano severely to moderately damaged. Mission San Gabriel moderately damaged. |
| 1827 | Sep 24 | Los Angeles Area | 4:00am | 5.5 | VI | No information |
| Year | Date | Location | Time | Richter Measure* | Mercalli Measure† | Deaths & Property Damage |
| 1855 | Jul 11 | Los Angeles Area | 4:15am | 6.0 | VIII | Bells of Mission San Gabriel torn down. 26 buildings damaged in L.A. |
| 1857 | Jan 9 | Fort Tejon‡ | 4:24pm | 7.9 | IX | 2 deaths; Severe property damage and loss. See Great Fort Tejon Earthquake, 1857. |
| 1916 | Oct 21 | Tejon Pass Region‡ | 2:44pm | 6.0 | VII | No information |
| Year | Date | Location | Time | Richter Measure* | Mercalli Measure† | Deaths & Property Damage |
| 1933 | Mar 10 | Long Beach | 5:54pm | 6.4 | VIII | 120 deaths; $40 million |
| 1920 | Jun 21 | Inglewood | 2:47am | 4.9 | VIII | No deaths; $100,000+ |
| 1941 | Nov 14 | Torrance-Gardena | 12:42am | 5.1 | VIII | No deaths; $1.1 million |
| Year | Date | Location | Time | Richter Measure* | Mercalli Measure† | Deaths & Property Damage |
| 1951 | Dec 26 | San Clemente Island | 12:46am | 5.9 | VI | No deaths; No appreciable damage |
| 1971 | Feb 9 | San Fernando | 6:01am | 6.6 | XI | 65 deaths; $505 million |
| 1979 | Jan 1 | Malibu | 3:15pm | 5.2 | VI | No deaths; minor damage |
| Year | Date | Location | Time | Richter Measure* | Mercalli Measure† | Deaths & Property Damage |
| 1987 | Oct 1 | Whittier-Narrows | 7:42am | 5.9 | VIII | 8 deaths; $358 million |
| 1988 | Dec 3 | Pasadena | 11:38pm | 5.0 | VI | No deaths; No appreciable damage |
| 1989 | Jan 19 | Malibu | 10:38pm | 5.2 | VI | No deaths; slight damage |
| Year | Date | Location | Time | Richter Measure* | Mercalli Measure† | Deaths & Property Damage |
| 1990 | Feb 8 | Upland** | 4:43pm | 5.8 | VII | No deaths; $12.7 million |
| 1991 | Jun 28 | Sierra Madre | 7:44am | 5.8 | VII | 2 deaths; $40 million |
| 1994 | Jan 17 | Northridge | 4:31am | 6.7 | IX | 61 deaths Est. $20 billion |
| Year | Date | Location | Time | Richter Measure* | Mercalli Measure† | Deaths & Property Damage |
| 2008 | Jul 29 | Chino Hills** | 4:04am | 5.5 | VI | No deaths; moderate damage |
| 2014 | Mar 28 | La Habra†† | 9:09pm | 5.1 | VI | No deaths; $10.8 million |
| 2023 | Aug 20 | Ojai‡‡ | 2:41pm | 5.1 | V | No deaths; No appreciable damage reported |
* Richter Magnitude Scale
† Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale
‡ Kern County
** San Bernardino County
†† Orange County
‡‡ Ventura County
The magnitude 7.9 Fort Tejon earthquake (1857) shook 631 times more intensely than did either of the magnitude 5.1 earthquakes in La Habra (2014) and Ojai (2023). The Tejon quake also released 15,849 times the energy than did either of the two smaller quakes.
Probability of a Major Earthquake in the Los Angeles Region
About 30 earthquakes occur every day in Southern California. Most have a magnitude of less than 2.0 and are almost never felt.
No evidence exists that earthquakes are more likely to occur in certain kinds of weather. Statistically, earthquakes may occur in any kind of weather.
The best place to see any part of the monstrous, 800-mile San Andreas Fault is in Palmdale in a road cut along the Antelope Valley Freeway (Route 14) just north of Avenue S. The last time this part of the fault was active was in 1857.
Also see the Southern California Earthquake Center.
