The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported a magnitude 3.9 earthquake at 8:17 p.m. on Sunday, shaking areas less than a mile from Malibu. This quake follows closely on the heels of a 4.1-magnitude earthquake that rattled the city just one week ago.
The quake occurred about four miles from Thousand Oaks, where residents reported light but prolonged shaking. Many described the side-to-side rocking, which lasted for approximately 10 seconds, as a "pretty good rattle."
This recent earthquake is part of an ongoing uptick in moderate seismic activity in Southern California. The region saw a record-high 15 seismic sequences in 2024, each including at least one quake with a magnitude of 4.0 or greater. This marks the highest total of such events in over six decades, according to Lucy Jones, a seismologist and Caltech research associate, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The Malibu area, in particular, has experienced three earthquakes larger than magnitude 4 in the past 13 months, highlighting a pattern of increasing seismic activity.
The quake was felt as far south as Long Beach and as far north as Oxnard, with scattered reports of weak shaking also coming from downtown Los Angeles.
Despite the noticeable tremor, sheriff's officials reported no significant damage. At the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department station in Agoura, the quake was felt but described as "not all that violent," said Sgt. Joseph De Mel.
The quake occurred at a depth of 8.9 miles and was centered four miles from Westlake Village, seven miles from Agoura Hills, and nine miles from Oak Park.
In the past 10 days, two other earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater have been reported in the area. The USGS notes that, on average, five earthquakes with magnitudes between 3.0 and 4.0 occur each year in the Greater Los Angeles area, based on a recent three-year data sample.
As of 9:15 p.m., there were no reports of major damage or injuries.
