Earthquakes in Santa Cruz County, California
The most recent earthquake of M2.5 or more near Santa Cruz County was M 2.6, 1 km ENE of Aromas, CA, 36 km (22 mi) ESE of the centre of Santa Cruz County, at 11:40 am PST on 12 November 2026. The estimated shaking at the centre of Santa Cruz County was intensity II (weak), felt by some people at rest indoors.
No earthquake of M1.5 or more was recorded within 50 km (31 mi) of the centre of Santa Cruz County in the last 24 hours.
- Last 24 hours
- 0
- Last 7 days
- 5
- Last 30 days
- 18 · an average 30 days here since 2016: 16
- Last 12 months
- 204 · largest M 4.6 on 2 April 2026
- Since 2016
- 2,135 earthquakes of M1.5 or more
- Largest since 2016
- M 5.1 on 25 October 2022, 15km ESE of Alum Rock, CA
- Nearest mapped fault
- East Monterey Bay fault, 8 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 Santa Cruz County · shaking is estimated for the centre with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses
Typical QuakeIndex 64 / 100
5 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 Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz 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 37.012, -122.008, the Census internal point of Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz County, California is intensity IV (light), from the M 4.6 of 2026, 15 km away. At that level most people indoors notice it; dishes and windows rattle.
| Magnitude | When | Where | Shaking here (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| M 5.1 | 15km ESE of Alum Rock, CA · felt by 24,205 | IV · Light | |
| M 4.6 | 1 km SE of Boulder Creek, CA · felt by 33,078 | IV · Light | |
| M 4.2 | 4km SE of Aromas, CA · felt by 13,081 | III · Weak | |
| M 4.2 | 3 km of Aromas, CA · felt by 4,076 | III · Weak | |
| M 4.1 | 14 km ESE of East Foothills, California · felt by 6,325 | III · Weak | |
| M 4.0 | 5 km S of San Juan Bautista, CA · felt by 417 | III · Weak | |
| M 4.0 | 2 km ESE of Aromas, California · felt by 511 | III · Weak | |
| M 4.0 | 8 km E of Gilroy, CA · felt by 920 | 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 27 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km of the centre of Santa Cruz County, California; the 8 largest:
- 6.9 The 1989 Loma Prieta, California Earthquake · 12 km ENE of the centre
- 6.5 Near Morgan Hill, California · 35 km ENE of the centre
- 6.3 22 km S of Davenport, California · 29 km SW of the centre
- 6.3 16 km SW of Davenport, California · 31 km WSW of the centre
- 6.2 Near San Jose, California · 37 km NNE of the centre
- 6.2 The 1984 Morgan Hill, California Earthquake · 44 km NE of the centre
- 6.1 Near San Jose, California · 28 km NE of the centre
- 5.8 Near Watsonville, California · 28 km ESE 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
- East Monterey Bay fault, 8 km from the centre of Santa Cruz County, California to its surface trace
- Zayante-Vergeles fault, 9 km from the centre of Santa Cruz County, California to its surface trace
- Monterey Bay- Tularcitos fault, 12 km from the centre of Santa Cruz County, California to its surface trace
- San Andreas fault, 14 km from the centre of Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz County, California
Live Oak 4 km · 0 M2.5+ named after it · Scotts Valley 4 km · 0 M2.5+ named after it · Santa Cruz 5 km · 3 M2.5+ named after it · Capitola 6 km · 0 M2.5+ named after it · Boulder Creek 16 km · 5 M2.5+ named after it · Los Gatos 24 km · 0 M2.5+ named after it · Watsonville 25 km · 1 M2.5+ named after it · Saratoga 28 km · 3 M2.5+ named after it · Campbell 31 km · 0 M2.5+ named after it · Morgan Hill 34 km · 33 M2.5+ named after it · Cupertino 35 km · 4 M2.5+ named after it · San Jose 38 km · 79 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 Santa Cruz 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