Malibu, Other SoCal Cities Shaken by 4.1-Magnitude Quake and Aftershocks

The 4.1 earthquake struck Sunday, and aftershocks were felt the following day. Experts aren’t sure what it means.

The Pacific coastline in Malibu, Calif., on Sept. 12, 2024, following a 4.7 magnitude earthquake in the area. Jae C. Hong/AP Photo

Residents of the upscale California coastal city of Malibu were rocked by aftershocks March 10, with a 3.3-magnitude earthquake shaking the city after a larger quake the day before.

The earthquake was reported at 2:23 a.m. and was centered 7.4 miles northwest of Malibu, and eight miles southwest of Thousand Oaks.

It originated about seven miles underground, according to reports.

Another aftershock struck about 9 a.m. Monday when a 2.2-magnitude quake hit eight miles from Thousand Oaks, about 40 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

The temblor originated nearly 7 miles beneath the surface, according to the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC).

The smaller quakes on Monday followed a 4.1-magnitude quake that struck the area Sunday, which was felt in Malibu, the San Fernando Valley, and other surrounding cities, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Sunday’s quake originated about seven miles underground in the Malibu Coast fault zone in Los Angeles County, according to Caltech.

Malibu, recently affected by the massive Palisades Fire, did not report any injuries or damage during Sunday’s event, but has seen a few earthquakes in the past year. The city was struck by a 4.7-magnitude quake Sept. 12, 2024, which triggered the state’s public ShakeAlert system.

Seismologist and earthquake guru Lucy Jones told reporters Sunday that it was difficult to say what the cluster of quakes meant for the area.

“It causes a lot of shaking and maybe some fear, but not any damage,” Jones said. “That seems to be what we’re seeing in this sequence over the last year.”

She drew no conclusions from the frequency of small quakes.

“If we knew what it meant, we’d be in a whole different place than what we are,” she said.

The area has been hit with seven 4.0-magnitude or greater earthquakes since records began in 1932, Caltech reported. The largest quake to hit the Malibu area was a 5.3-magnitude shaker that struck on Feb. 21, 1973.

A magnitude-4.2 earthquake struck 10 miles south of Malibu Beach, Calif., at 2 a.m. on Jan. 25, 2023. Courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey

A 3.9 magnitude quake hit North Hollywood March 2, likely striking from the Hollywood fault, according to Caltech.

“Earthquakes can occur both near or on major known faults, and in places where no clear fault zones are known,” Caltech reported.

Although no damage was reported from the event, the area was struck with seven aftershocks. The largest aftershock was 2.0 magnitude, Caltech reported.

Since records began in 1932, the area has recorded 32 events of at least magnitude 4.0 within about six miles of the earthquake’s center, Caltech added.