Recent earthquake activity
Earthquakes in California: latest news, today and the last 30 days
California straddles the boundary between the Pacific and North American plates, dominated by the San Andreas fault system. Small earthquakes happen here every day, and the state records more felt quakes than almost anywhere else in the United States.
Updated 2026-10-21 01:44 UTC
Latest earthquake news in California
The most notable recent events in California, newest first. Each links to its own page with the full record, a map and felt reports. This page is rebuilt every 30 minutes.
- M 2.5 near Gilroy, California
Felt by 3 people · community intensity II (weak) · depth 5.1 km · 10 km ESE of Gilroy, CA
- M 2.8 near San Jacinto, California
Felt by 87 people · community intensity III (weak) · depth 13.6 km · 3 km NNW of San Jacinto, CA
- M 3.0 near Eureka, California
Felt by 8 people · community intensity III (weak) · depth 4.4 km · 23 km NE of Hydesville, CA
California earthquake activity at a glance
What the last 30 days look like in California
16 earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or above were recorded in the last 7 days, up from 13 the week before. In the last 24 hours: 3.
The largest was M4.1 on September 27, 20 km W of Preston, Nevada, 6.0 km deep, and 1 people reported feeling it.
The most widely felt was not the largest: M3.6, 7 km WSW of Hermosa Beach, CA, with 2,136 reports.
Nearly all were shallow (less than 70 km down), so even moderate magnitudes can be felt clearly close to the epicentre.
Map of recent earthquakes in California and the surrounding area
Circle size shows magnitude and color shows depth. Select a marker to highlight its event below.
Every recorded event
74 earthquakes of magnitude 2.5+ recorded in California and the surrounding area in the last 30 days. The newest 60 are shown.
M 2.7 32 km SE of Bodie, CA
M 2.8 39 km SSW of Qualeys Camp, NV
M 2.5 5 km WSW of Burning Man Earth, Nevada
M 2.6 18 km WSW of Petrolia, CAFelt · 1
M 3.0 25 km S of Mina, NevadaFelt · 1
M 2.9 19 km SW of Toms Place, CA
M 2.8 19 km SW of Toms Place, CAFelt · 1
M 3.4 19 km W of Preston, NevadaShaking III
M 2.5 10 km ESE of Gilroy, CAFelt · 3
M 3.0 13 km W of Petrolia, CA
M 2.8 20 km ESE of Silver Springs, Nevada
M 3.0 7 km NW of The Geysers, CAFelt · 1
M 2.8 3 km NNW of San Jacinto, CAFelt · 87
M 3.0 12 km NE of Walker Lake, NevadaFelt · 1
M 3.0 23 km NE of Hydesville, CAFelt · 8
M 2.6 28 km SSE of Lopez Point, CA
M 2.7 15 km NE of Little Lake, CA
M 2.6 13 km NNW of Gerlach, Nevada
M 2.7 33 km WNW of Desert Center, CA
M 2.7 33 km WNW of Desert Center, CA
M 2.7 4 km E of San Jacinto, CAFelt · 58
M 2.5 26 km SW of Mina, Nevada
M 3.2 14 km N of Brooktrails, CAFelt · 13
M 2.8 34 km SE of Mina, Nevada
M 3.2 2 km SW of Signal Hill, CAFelt · 1,090
M 2.8 32 km SE of Bodie, CA
M 2.7 2 km WNW of Fontana, CAFelt · 158
M 2.7 18 km W of Preston, Nevada
M 3.3 19 km W of Preston, NevadaShaking III
M 2.8 18 km W of Preston, Nevada
M 3.5 25 km WNW of Preston, NevadaShaking III
M 3.1 5 km ESE of Wofford Heights, CAFelt · 30
M 2.6 4 km NNW of Big Bear City, CAFelt · 18
M 2.5 31 km SW of Dana Point, CAFelt · 1
M 2.8 32 km SW of Dana Point, CAFelt · 3
M 3.5 31 km SW of Dana Point, CAFelt · 126
M 2.7 5 km ENE of Hydesville, CAFelt · 9
M 2.7 7 km SE of Goleta, CAFelt · 59
M 2.8 22 km NNE of Yerington, NevadaFelt · 1
M 2.5 9 km WSW of Corcoran, CA
M 2.6 35 km SE of Mina, Nevada
M 3.3 24 km W of Preston, Nevada
M 2.9 9 km WSW of South Lake Tahoe, CAFelt · 86
M 3.3 9 km WSW of South Lake Tahoe, CAFelt · 543
M 3.0 19 km W of Preston, Nevada
M 3.1 20 km ESE of Anza, CAFelt · 8
M 2.9 8 km ESE of Cloverdale, CAFelt · 15
M 2.5 1 km SSW of Anderson Springs, CAFelt · 6
M 3.8 4 km SE of Piru, CAFelt · 204
M 2.5 20 km E of Markleeville, CA
M 2.5 5 km W of Yountville, CAFelt · 51
M 3.1 19 km W of Preston, Nevada
M 3.3 20 km W of Preston, Nevada
M 3.6 7 km WSW of Hermosa Beach, CAFelt · 2,136
M 2.6 26 km WSW of Westley, CA
M 3.3 27 km WSW of Westley, CAFelt · 15
M 4.1 20 km W of Preston, NevadaFelt · 1
M 2.6 20 km W of Preston, Nevada
M 3.3 21 km W of Preston, NevadaShaking III
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Frequently asked questions
Was there an earthquake in California today?
Yes — 3 earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or above were recorded in the last 24 hours. The most recent was M2.5 near Windsor, California, 9 h ago. The list on this page is rebuilt every 30 minutes, newest first.
How many earthquakes does California get?
74 of magnitude 2.5 or above in the last 30 days, 16 of them in the last 7. Most are too small to feel; that is normal for a seismically active region.
What was the biggest recent earthquake in California?
Magnitude 4.1 on September 27, 2026, 20 km W of Preston, Nevada, at a depth of 6.0 km. 1 people reported feeling it.
How deep are earthquakes in California?
In the last 30 days they ranged from -0.3 km to 29.5 km deep. Shallow earthquakes are felt more strongly near the epicentre; deep ones are felt weakly over a wider area.
How can I get earthquake alerts for California?
Install the free SeismoWatch Android app, draw a box over California, set a minimum magnitude, and turn alerts on. Alerts are sent after an event is published, so they are not an early warning.
Where does this data come from?
From the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) global catalog, deduplicated. Each event links to its own page with the full record.
The strongest earthquakes recorded in California since 1960
The 10 largest events of magnitude 6.0 or above in the California monitoring area, from the USGS catalog. Recent activity is best read against this: a region's ordinary weeks look very different from its worst days.
| Magnitude | Location | Date | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|
| M 7.3 | The 1992 Landers, California Earthquake | June 28, 1992 | -0.1 km |
| M 7.2 | The 1992 Petrolia, California Earthquake | April 25, 1992 | 9.9 km |
| M 7.2 | The 1980 Eureka, California Earthquake | November 8, 1980 | 19.0 km |
| M 7.1 | The 1999 Hector Mine, California Earthquake | October 16, 1999 | 13.7 km |
| M 7.1 | Ridgecrest Earthquake Sequence | July 6, 2019 | 8.0 km |
| M 6.9 | The 1989 Loma Prieta, California Earthquake | October 18, 1989 | 17.2 km |
| M 6.7 | The 1983 Coalinga, California Earthquake | May 2, 1983 | 9.6 km |
| M 6.7 | Northridge, California, earthquake | January 17, 1994 | 18.2 km |
| M 6.6 | The 1987 Superstition Hills, California Earthquake | November 24, 1987 | 11.2 km |
| M 6.6 | The 1968 Borrego Mountain, California Earthquake | April 9, 1968 | 10.0 km |
Coverage and data notes
Events are preliminary, so magnitudes and locations may be revised. This page uses a rectangular monitoring area around California, so border areas and nearby offshore zones can include events outside the administrative boundary. Completeness varies: a national network usually records more small earthquakes than the catalogs used here, so treat the counts as a floor rather than a census.
Event data: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), in Venezuela FUNVISIS and in Brazil the RSBR through the Centro de Sismologia da USP. Populated places and time zones: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Preliminary solutions are revised as more observations arrive.