Earthquakes in Contra Costa County, California
The most recent earthquake of M2.5 or more near Contra Costa County was M 2.5, 2 km WNW of Concord, CA, 10 km (6 mi) NW of the centre of Contra Costa County, at 1:23 am PST on 2 November 2026, 15 km deep. 39 people reported feeling it to USGS. The estimated shaking at the centre of Contra Costa County was intensity II (weak), felt by some people at rest indoors. 7 smaller earthquakes have been recorded near Contra Costa County since.
In the last 24 hours, 1 earthquake of M1.5 or more was recorded within 50 km (31 mi) of the centre of Contra Costa County: M 1.5, 12 km SE of Livermore, CA, 43 km (26 mi) SE of the centre of Contra Costa County, at 4:39 pm PST.
- Last 24 hours
- 1
- Last 7 days
- 3
- Last 30 days
- 23 · an average 30 days here since 2016: 19
- Last 12 months
- 516 · largest M 4.2 on 2 February 2026
- Since 2016
- 2,533 earthquakes of M1.5 or more
- Largest since 2016
- M 4.5 on 14 October 2019, 1km SSE of Pleasant Hill, CA
- Nearest mapped fault
- Greenville fault, 3 km from the centre to its surface trace
Latest quake, 24 hours and 7 days: the QuakeIndex database, which reads USGS every 30 seconds, read at ; 30 days and 12 months: the QuakeIndex catalogue, counted to · earthquakes of M1.5 or more within 50 km (31 mi) of the centre of Contra Costa County · shaking is estimated for the centre with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses
Typical QuakeIndex 35 / 100
2 quakes of M1.5 or larger in the last 7 days within 50 km. Normal for here is 2 to 5 in a week.
Compared against Contra Costa County, California's own 10 years · USGS catalogue · updated
If you felt one
- Was that an earthquake? — checks what was recorded near you in the last hour
- Report what you felt to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us, and they are what produces the intensity maps
- Expect aftershocks, and be ready to Drop, Cover, and Hold On if you feel one; if you are in a damaged building, go outside and move away from it (Ready.gov, FEMA; what to do during and after an earthquake)
- Near the coast, go inland or to higher ground as soon as strong shaking stops (Ready.gov); official warnings are on Tsunami.gov
- Check the roads — Nevada Explorer — for Reno, Tahoe and the Sierra passes
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings or forecasts. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert and the MyShake app.
The last 30 days
Show these earthquakes on your own site: a free card with this strip and the latest quakes near Contra Costa County, California, for a local news site, school or neighborhood page.
Live · last 7 days
Latest earthquakes within 50 km
None within 50 km in the latest snapshot we hold; the full 7 days load from USGS as this page opens.
Source USGS · snapshot of
The last 7 days on the map
Open the full map — zoom anywhere, or find your own location →
The centre is 37.919, -121.952, the Census internal point of Contra Costa County, California from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Activity on this page is measured within 50 km of it — the dashed circle.
Largest on record nearby
The strongest shaking this record implies at the centre of Contra Costa County, California is intensity IV (light), from the M 4.5 of 2019, 9 km away. At that level most people indoors notice it; dishes and windows rattle.
| Magnitude | When | Where | Shaking here (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| M 4.5 | 1km SSE of Pleasant Hill, CA · felt by 45,899 | IV · Light | |
| M 4.4 | 2km SE of Berkeley, CA · felt by 31,787 | III · Weak | |
| M 4.3 | 12km WSW of Byron, CA · felt by 10,938 | III · Weak | |
| M 4.3 | 2 km ESE of Berkeley, CA · felt by 31,810 | III · Weak | |
| M 4.2 | 5 km SW of Isleton, CA · felt by 7,899 | III · Weak | |
| M 4.2 | 4 km SE of San Ramon, CA · felt by 5,032 | III · Weak | |
| M 4.1 | 7km NW of Bay Point, CA · felt by 5,794 | III · Weak | |
| M 4.0 | 5 km SSE of San Ramon, CA · felt by 2,228 | III · Weak |
From the QuakeIndex catalogue, built from the USGS FDSN event service · within 50 km of the centre above. Shaking is an estimate for the centre from magnitude, depth and distance, with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses (Atkinson & Wald, 2007), on the Modified Mercalli scale. Ground conditions change it locally; it is a description of the past, not a hazard rating.
Before 2016
The USGS record from 1900 to 2015 lists 5 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km of the centre of Contra Costa County, California:
- 6.0 The 2014 South Napa, California Earthquake · 46 km NW of the centre
- 5.8 The 1980 Livermore, California Earthquake · 18 km ESE of the centre
- 5.4 South of Elmira, California · 43 km N of the centre
- 5.4 9 km NE of Livermore, California · 29 km SE of the centre
- 5.1 11 km E of Blackhawk, California · 20 km SE of the centre
USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900 to 2015. Epicentres of early earthquakes are estimates. This is the record, not a forecast.
Nearest mapped faults
- Greenville fault, 3 km from the centre of Contra Costa County, California to its surface trace
- Concord fault, 10 km from the centre of Contra Costa County, California to its surface trace
- Calaveras fault, 12 km from the centre of Contra Costa County, California to its surface trace
- Pleasanton fault, 13 km from the centre of Contra Costa County, California to its surface trace
USGS Quaternary Fault and Fold Database, within 50 km. Near is not the same as on, and faults with no surface trace are not in it.
Town pages near Contra Costa County, California
Alamo 10 km · 7 M2.5+ named after it · Concord 10 km · 8 M2.5+ named after it · Pleasant Hill 10 km · 10 M2.5+ named after it · Walnut Creek 10 km · 1 M2.5+ named after it · Danville 12 km · 7 M2.5+ named after it · Pacheco 13 km · 8 M2.5+ named after it · Pittsburg 13 km · 4 M2.5+ named after it · Lafayette 15 km · 1 M2.5+ named after it · San Ramon 16 km · 84 M2.5+ named after it · Antioch 16 km · 7 M2.5+ named after it · Martinez 19 km · 0 M2.5+ named after it · Orinda 21 km · 3 M2.5+ named after it
Each town page lists every M1.5+ earthquake within 30 km since 2016 and the ones USGS named after it. Town names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0).
Be ready
Earthquakes cannot be predicted, here or anywhere, so the useful step is the one taken beforehand. The advice below is from the agencies responsible for it.
- Ready.gov: earthquakes (FEMA) — what to do before, during and after, including Drop, Cover, and Hold On
- Build a kit (FEMA) — water, food and supplies for several days; our summary
- USGS: preparedness — the hazard behind the advice, from the agency that records every quake on this page
- The Great ShakeOut — the yearly earthquake drill, with material for homes, schools and workplaces
- ShakeAlert covers Contra Costa County, California: alerts reach phones through Wireless Emergency Alerts and the MyShake app, seconds before shaking arrives
- Tsunami.gov (NOAA) — the official tsunami warnings for the coast; a quake page here never stands in for one
- California Earthquake Authority — retrofit grants and the state's not-for-profit earthquake insurance