1812 Ventura earthquake
| USGS-ANSS | ComCat |
|---|---|
| Local date | December 21, 1812 |
| Local time | 11:00 PST |
| Magnitude | Mw 7.2 |
| Epicenter | Santa Barbara Channel or Wrightwood 34°12′N 119°54′W / 34.2°N 119.9°W |
| Areas affected | Alta California, New Spain Present day Santa Barbara and Ventura County |
| Max. intensity | MMI X (Extreme) |
| Tsunami | 4 m (13 ft) |
| Foreshocks | Yes |
| Aftershocks | Yes |
| Casualties | 2 dead |
The 1812 Ventura earthquake (also known as the Santa Barbara earthquake) occurred on the morning of December 21 at 11:00 Pacific Standard Time (PST). The Mw 7.2 earthquake was assigned a with a maximum Modified Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme). The seismic shaking was followed by a tsunami that considerably damaged places in present-day Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties, California, which was at the time a territory of the Spanish Empire. One person was killed during the earthquake and another from an aftershock. The earthquake occurred while the region was recovering from another event on December 8.