Live earthquake check
Earthquakes near Costa Mesa today
Updated
No M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km of Costa Mesa in the last 24 hours 4 smaller quakes (largest M1.6) were recorded within 100 km; the latest 3 hours ago.
Was there an earthquake in Costa Mesa just now? This page checks the live USGS catalogue for quakes around Costa Mesa, California, United States and updates every few minutes.
- Last 24 hours
- 0 M2.5+ within 100 km
- Last 7 days
- 0 M2.5+ within 100 km
- Last 30 days
- 8 M2.5+ within 100 km
- Largest in 30 days
- M3.6 56 km WNW, Sep 27, 2026
- Largest in past year
- M3.8 114 km NW, Sep 30, 2026
- Past year count
- 110 M2.5+ within 150 km
- Nearest in 30 days
- 29 km M3.2, Oct 9, 2026
Recent earthquakes near Costa Mesa
USGS recorded 8 earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more within 100 km of Costa Mesa in the past 30 days, 0 of them in the last 7 days. The most recent was M2.8 90 km ENE of the city at Oct 14, 20:30 local time (11 days ago).
The average depth was about 12 km and 8 of 8 were shallow (under 70 km), which are the ones most likely to be felt at the surface. The busiest day was Oct 5, 2026 with 3 quakes.
USGS also lists 4 smaller quakes (below M2.5) within 100 km in the last 24 hours; these are rarely felt.
| Time (Costa Mesa) | UTC | Magnitude | Distance | Depth | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 14, 20:30 | Oct 15, 03:30 UTC | M2.8 | 90 km ENE | 14 km | 3 km NNW of San Jacinto, CA |
| Oct 11, 01:04 | Oct 11, 08:04 UTC | M2.7 | 94 km E | 12 km | 4 km E of San Jacinto, CA |
| Oct 9, 00:44 | Oct 9, 07:44 UTC | M3.2 | 29 km WNW | 12 km | 2 km SW of Signal Hill, CA |
| Oct 8, 01:09 | Oct 8, 08:09 UTC | M2.7 | 65 km NE | 6 km | 2 km WNW of Fontana, CA |
| Oct 6, 01:40 | Oct 6, 08:40 UTC | M2.6 | 122 km NE | 4 km | 4 km NNW of Big Bear City, CA |
| Oct 5, 15:06 | Oct 5, 22:06 UTC | M2.5 | 41 km S | 11 km | 31 km SW of Dana Point, CA |
| Oct 5, 13:23 | Oct 5, 20:23 UTC | M2.8 | 42 km S | 17 km | 32 km SW of Dana Point, CA |
| Oct 5, 13:22 | Oct 5, 20:22 UTC | M3.5 | 42 km S | 11 km | 31 km SW of Dana Point, CA |
| Sep 30, 17:01 | Oct 1, 00:01 UTC | M3.1 | 136 km E | 5 km | 20 km ESE of Anza, CA |
| Sep 29, 20:00 | Sep 30, 03:00 UTC | M3.8 | 114 km NW | 10 km | 4 km SE of Piru, CA |
| Sep 27, 08:40 | Sep 27, 15:40 UTC | M3.6 | 56 km WNW | 12 km | 7 km WSW of Hermosa Beach, CA |
M2.5+ within 150 km, past 30 days, newest first. Times in America/Los_Angeles.
Largest earthquakes near Costa Mesa in the past year
The strongest earthquake within 150 km of Costa Mesa in the past 12 months was M3.8 on Sep 30, 2026, 114 km NW of the city (4 km SE of Piru, CA).
With 110 M2.5+ earthquakes in a year (about 9.2 a month), the area around Costa Mesa is active by global standards. 0 of the ten largest reached M4.5, the level at which damage near the epicentre becomes possible.
| Date | Magnitude | Distance | Depth | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 30, 2026 | M3.8 | 114 km NW | 10 km | 4 km SE of Piru, CA |
| Aug 19, 2026 | M3.6 | 120 km ESE | 5 km | 14 km N of Warner Springs, CA |
| Dec 14, 2025 | M3.6 | 138 km NW | 11 km | 13 km NW of Fillmore, CA |
| Feb 17, 2026 | M3.6 | 101 km ENE | 14 km | 4 km S of Banning, CA |
| Sep 27, 2026 | M3.6 | 56 km WNW | 12 km | 7 km WSW of Hermosa Beach, CA |
| Nov 28, 2025 | M3.5 | 104 km E | 18 km | 10 km SW of Idyllwild, CA |
| Oct 5, 2026 | M3.5 | 42 km S | 11 km | 31 km SW of Dana Point, CA |
| Nov 28, 2025 | M3.5 | 104 km E | 17 km | 10 km SW of Idyllwild, CA |
| Apr 26, 2026 | M3.4 | 115 km ENE | 13 km | 10 km NNE of Cabazon, CA |
| Jun 6, 2026 | M3.4 | 140 km NW | 25 km | 15 km NW of Fillmore, CA |
Was it felt in Costa Mesa?
The largest nearby quake this month, M3.6 at 56 km, was probably too small or too distant to notice in Costa Mesa by a rough rule of thumb (an M3 is typically noticed within a few tens of km, an M5 up to a few hundred km; local ground and building type matter a lot).
USGS "Did You Feel It?" received reports for 11 of these quakes: M2.8 on Oct 15, 2026 (87 reports, max intensity 2.7); M2.7 on Oct 11, 2026 (58 reports, max intensity 2.9); M3.2 on Oct 9, 2026 (1091 reports, max intensity 3.4); M2.7 on Oct 8, 2026 (158 reports, max intensity 3.1).
If you felt shaking, you can report it to USGS; reports refine the intensity map within minutes.
Tsunami warning status
None of the earthquakes near Costa Mesa in the past year carried the USGS tsunami flag, which USGS sets for large quakes in oceanic regions where the tsunami warning centres issue messages.
Official tsunami warnings come from the NOAA tsunami warning centres (tsunami.gov) and national agencies; follow local authorities if you are on a coast after strong shaking.
Earthquakes around the world today
Worldwide, USGS listed 154 earthquakes of M1+ in the last 24 hours; the largest was M6.5 Bonin Islands, Japan region.
USGS lists every magnitude in the United States but outside it coverage is complete only from about M4–4.5, so smaller local quakes reported by national agencies may be missing. Magnitudes and locations are revised for hours after an event.
Earthquakes near other cities in United States and nearby
Earthquake pages
More live data for Costa Mesa
Data: USGS Earthquake Hazards Program (ComCat), GeoNames (cities, CC BY 4.0).