Malibu Hit by 3.9 Magnitude Earthquake, Residents on Alert

MALIBU, Calif. — A magnitude 3.9 earthquake rattled the Malibu area Sunday evening, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The tremor struck at 8:17 p.m., centered approximately 8 miles northeast of Westlake Village and 9 miles north of Thousand Oaks.

Fortunately, no injuries or significant structural damage were reported in the aftermath. However, numerous ABC7 viewers from surrounding areas, including Thousand Oaks and Camarillo, reported feeling the quake, indicating its notable intensity.

Tonia Franklin, a resident from Long Beach, expressed her concerns about seismic activity on Facebook, stating, “I felt it in Long Beach. One wall shook for a few seconds. I pray almost every day that we don’t have a catastrophic earthquake; I’ve been praying this way since the big Northridge earthquake in 1994.”

The USGS initially recorded the quake’s magnitude at 4.0 before downgrading it. The earthquake followed a series of seismic events that have struck Southern California recently, including a 3.3-magnitude earthquake near Malibu on March 10 and a 4.1-magnitude earthquake in Westlake Village on March 9.

According to Lucy Jones, a seismologist at Caltech, Southern California has been experiencing an uptick in seismic activity, with 15 sequences of magnitude 4 or greater recorded in 2024 — the highest annual total in 65 years, surpassing 1988’s count.

“Sunday’s earthquake was the first magnitude 4 in Southern California in 2025,” Jones commented. “The Malibu area has recorded three quakes larger than this magnitude in the last 13 months, which highlights the region’s seismic vulnerability.”

Experts have urged caution, as the recent quakes do not predict the timing of a larger, more devastating earthquake. Susan Hough, a seismologist with the USGS, emphasized the difficulty in identifying patterns from smaller quakes that precede larger ones. “Nobody has found patterns that are statistically meaningful before big earthquakes happen,” Hough noted.

The recent earthquake surge, especially in areas like Malibu, raises awareness of the ever-present threat of a significant seismic event. For instance, the Eastside L.A. earthquakes last summer were traced back to faults beneath downtown Los Angeles, highlighting the extensive risk throughout the area.

Historically, Malibu has experienced notable seismic activity. A magnitude 5 earthquake struck near Malibu Point in 1989, injuring several individuals and damaging property. In another incident, a magnitude 5.2 quake occurring during the Rose Bowl game in 1979 startled fans, serving as a reminder that these events can happen even in seemingly mundane circumstances.

USGS geophysicist Morgan Page stated that earthquakes can reach magnitudes up to 8 in Malibu due to the possibility of individual faults linking up during a seismic event. “A magnitude 4.7 earthquake previously recorded had a substantial chance of involving the Malibu or Anacapa faults,” she said.

Despite the recent quakes causing minimal damage, residents in Malibu remain on alert. Craig Clunies-Ross, owner of Malibu’s Drill Surf & Skate shop, described the quake’s jolt as significant. “It seems like over the last year or two, they happen more often, to me at least,” he remarked.

The Malibu coast’s stunning landscape is the result of geological forces at play, with Dr. Robert de Groot of USGS noting, “The beauty we have here is the result of the squeezing that’s going on and pushing stuff up.”

In conclusion, while the immediate impact of Sunday night’s quake was limited, experts continue to stress the unpredictability and risks associated with living in such a seismically active region.