Recent earthquake activity
Earthquakes in California — 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 2026-09-05 19:17 UTC
California earthquake activity at a glance
What the last 30 days look like in California
7 earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or above were recorded in the last 7 days, down from 17 the week before. In the last 24 hours: 1.
The largest was M4.0 on August 23, 10 km ENE of Coso Junction, CA, 2.8 km deep, and 8 people reported feeling it.
The most widely felt was not the largest: M3.8, 3 km N of San Leandro, CA, with 7,876 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
81 earthquakes of magnitude 2.5+ recorded in California and the surrounding area in the last 30 days. The newest 60 are shown.
M 3.3 3 km ESE of Larkfield-Wikiup, CAFelt · 1,842
M 2.8 15 km SE of Petrolia, CAFelt · 1
M 3.2 6 km SE of Ontario, CAFelt · 730
M 3.0 4 km WSW of Hamilton City, CAFelt · 5
M 2.6 2 km N of Middletown, CAFelt · 3
M 2.9 22 km SSW of La Quinta, CAFelt · 15
M 2.6 17 km SSW of Beatty, Nevada
M 2.7 22 km SE of Yosemite Valley, CA
M 2.7 6 km NNW of Redwood Valley, CAFelt · 13
M 2.6 11 km NNW of Corcoran, CA
M 3.1 12 km WSW of Salton City, CAFelt · 7
M 2.6 13 km W of Round Valley, CA
M 2.6 18 km SW of Toms Place, CA
M 2.8 18 km SW of Toms Place, CA
M 2.8 19 km SW of Toms Place, CA
M 2.7 3 km W of Walker, CA
M 2.7 10 km ENE of Coso Junction, CA
M 2.6 10 km N of Lake Pillsbury, CA
M 3.5 10 km ENE of Coso Junction, CAFelt · 2
M 2.6 10 km E of Coso Junction, CA
M 3.4 10 km ENE of Coso Junction, CAFelt · 1
M 4.0 10 km ENE of Coso Junction, CAFelt · 8
M 2.8 4 km NW of Parkfield, CAFelt · 2
M 2.6 20 km ESE of Silver Springs, Nevada
M 2.6 46 km NW of Beatty, Nevada
M 2.9 8 km WNW of Corcoran, CA
M 3.3 10 km ENE of Coso Junction, CAFelt · 3
M 3.0 10 km ENE of Coso Junction, CA
M 2.6 75 km ENE of Tonopah, Nevada
M 2.7 17 km NNW of Indian Springs, NevadaFelt · 1
M 2.6 44 km NNW of Moapa Town, Nevada
M 3.6 14 km N of Warner Springs, CAFelt · 165
M 3.0 76 km ENE of Tonopah, NevadaFelt · 2
M 2.9 75 km ENE of Tonopah, NevadaShaking III
M 2.6 11 km SW of Round Valley, CA
M 2.5 20 km ESE of Silver Springs, Nevada
M 2.5 28 km NW of Weaverville, CA
M 2.8 75 km ENE of Tonopah, Nevada
M 2.7 35 km NNW of Santa Barbara Is., CAFelt · 3
M 2.5 18 km SW of Toms Place, CA
M 2.5 12 km SSW of Lompoc, CA
M 2.7 12 km S of Lompoc, CAFelt · 1
M 2.5 2 km SE of Concord, CAFelt · 13
M 2.8 6 km SE of Ontario, CAFelt · 128
M 2.8 10 km ENE of Coso Junction, CAFelt · 1
M 2.5 7 km SW of Atascadero, CAFelt · 61
M 3.3 19 km SW of Toms Place, CAFelt · 5
M 2.5 12 km SSW of Lompoc, CAFelt · 16
M 2.6 5 km S of Petrolia, CA
M 2.8 4 km N of San Leandro, CAFelt · 63
M 3.8 3 km N of San Leandro, CAFelt · 7,876
M 2.6 28 km SSW of Ocotillo Wells, CAFelt · 1
M 2.7 32 km NNW of Covelo, CAFelt · 1
M 2.6 9 km SW of Valencia, CAFelt · 48
M 3.2 6 km NW of The Geysers, CAFelt · 13
M 3.2 6 km NW of The Geysers, CAFelt · 6
M 3.0 10 km WSW of Corona, CAFelt · 402
M 2.6 30 km SSE of Mina, Nevada
M 2.8 7 km NW of The Geysers, CA
Get earthquake alerts for California
SeismoWatch pushes a notification to your Android phone within minutes of an earthquake in California — at whatever magnitude you choose. No account, no spam.
Frequently asked questions
Was there an earthquake in California today?
Yes — 1 earthquake of magnitude 2.5 or above was recorded in the last 24 hours. The list on this page is rebuilt every 30 minutes, newest first.
How many earthquakes does California get?
81 of magnitude 2.5 or above in the last 30 days, 7 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 4.0 on August 23, 2026, 10 km ENE of Coso Junction, CA, at a depth of 2.8 km. 8 people reported feeling it.
How deep are earthquakes in California?
In the last 30 days they ranged from 0.0 km to 37.2 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) and, in Venezuela, FUNVISIS. Populated places and time zones: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Preliminary solutions are revised as more observations arrive.