Magnitude 5.1 earthquake hits Malibu; Southern California breaks one-year earthquake record

UPDATED with further details: A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck Malibu and other surrounding communities at 7:28 a.m. today, the U.S. Geological Survey said. A magnitude 2.8 aftershock struck just minutes later, followed by a 3.4 at 8:40 a.m.

The first quake, originally rated at 5.1 but later downgraded, had its epicenter five miles north of Malibu and was seven miles deep, the USGS reports. There are no reports of injuries or damage so far.

In a televised question and answer session shortly after the quake, USGS seismologist Lucy Jones said: “We had more than average [number of] There have been 14 magnitude 4 earthquakes in Southern California this year. On average, there have been about eight magnitude 4 earthquakes, meaning sequences with at least one magnitude 4. So far, we have had 14 of them in Southern California. In the worst year before, there were 13.

“Note, however, that these numbers are small,” she added. “They are not yet statistically significant.”

In fact, Southern California has seen an unusually high number of earthquakes in recent weeks. A magnitude 4.4 quake with an epicenter near Pasadena struck the region on August 12, days after a magnitude 5.2 quake struck Bakersfield and was felt throughout Los Angeles County. Last week, a series of smaller quakes, including one measuring 3.9, struck near Ontario, about 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.

Jones added during her question and answer session today: “It's notable that some of the strongest quakes – not surprisingly – were right there on the west side of Los Angeles.” She said they could be felt as far south as Irvine, nearly 65 miles south of the chic beach town of Malibu.

As always, there is a 5% chance that today's quake is a precursor to a larger one. “In Southern California, each of us is less than five miles from an active fault,” Jones reminded.

According to the USSGS, the epicenter of the quake was 7.9 kilometers southwest of Agoura Hills, 10.3 kilometers southwest of Agoura and 11.4 kilometers southeast of Thousand Oaks.

The city of Anaheim, home of Disneyland, posted on X: “We felt a rolling, strong earthquake in Anaheim,” the city of Anaheim posted on X. “Initial reports are 5.1 (subject to change) near Malibu. We will monitor reports and facilities as we are not aware of any issues or concerns in Anaheim at this time.”

City News Service contributed to this report.