Every recorded earthquake within 30 km
Earthquakes near Aptos, CA
No earthquake was likely felt in Aptos in the 24 hours to 2:31 pm PST (22:31 UTC). The last one was M 3.9, 78 km (48 mi) SE, at 3:19 am PDT on 11 August 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 34 felt reports to USGS.
M 2.5
Latest: 6:10 am PDT on 26 October 2026 · 29 km (18 mi) ESE of Aptos, CA
The most recent earthquake of M2.5 or more near Aptos was M 2.5, 29 km (18 mi) ESE of Aptos, CA, at 6:10 am PDT on 26 October 2026, 5 km deep. 6 people reported feeling it to USGS. The estimated shaking in Aptos was intensity II (weak), felt by some people at rest indoors. 1 smaller earthquake has been recorded near Aptos since; the newest is first in the list below.
No earthquake of M1.5 or more was recorded within 30 km (19 mi) of Aptos in the last 24 hours.
- Last 24 hours
- 0
- Last 7 days
- 0
- Last 30 days
- 3 · an average 30 days here since 2016: 4.7
- Last 12 months
- 56 · largest M 4.6 on 2 April 2026
- Since 2016
- 616 earthquakes of M1.5 or more within 30 km
- Largest since 2016
- M 4.6 on 2 April 2026, 24 km (15 mi) NW of Aptos, CA
- Reported felt
- 222 of them have felt reports to USGS
- Nearest mapped fault
- East Monterey Bay fault, 4 km from its surface trace
USGS · feed checked · newest earthquake in our database · this page · counts are earthquakes of M1.5 or more within 30 km (19 mi) of the town centre; shaking is estimated for the town centre with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses
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
- Earthquakes in California — with the state's activity score
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings or forecasts. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert and the MyShake app.
Earthquake alerts for Aptos, CA
Get a notification in this browser when USGS records an earthquake near Aptos, CA. No account or email needed.
Alerts are on for .
Not a warning. An alert comes after USGS publishes a quake, usually minutes after the shaking. For early warning use ShakeAlert, through your phone's Wireless Emergency Alerts or the MyShake app.
The last 30 days
The latest 50
- 1.8 16 km (10 mi) N of Aptos, CA
- 2.5 29 km (18 mi) ESE of Aptos, CA · felt by 6
- 2.4 27 km (17 mi) ESE of Aptos, CA
- 2.3 19 km (12 mi) NNW of Aptos, CA · felt by 3
- 1.8 15 km (9 mi) S of Aptos, CA
- 1.7 20 km (12 mi) ESE of Aptos, CA
- 1.5 23 km (14 mi) ESE of Aptos, CA
- 2.6 27 km (17 mi) ESE of Aptos, CA
- 1.8 26 km (16 mi) ESE of Aptos, CA
- 1.5 26 km (16 mi) ESE of Aptos, CA
- 2.2 25 km (15 mi) E of Aptos, CA · felt by 1
- 1.6 25 km (15 mi) E of Aptos, CA
- 1.6 24 km (15 mi) E of Aptos, CA
- 1.8 23 km (14 mi) E of Aptos, CA
- 1.7 27 km (17 mi) ESE of Aptos, CA
- 1.7 19 km (12 mi) ESE of Aptos, CA
- 1.6 26 km (16 mi) ESE of Aptos, CA
- 1.6 26 km (16 mi) ESE of Aptos, CA
- 1.9 28 km (17 mi) ESE of Aptos, CA
- 1.6 23 km (14 mi) E of Aptos, CA
- 2.0 26 km (16 mi) ESE of Aptos, CA
- 3.0 19 km (12 mi) ESE of Aptos, CA · felt by 84
- 3.0 27 km (17 mi) ESE of Aptos, CA · felt by 75
- 1.5 23 km (14 mi) E of Aptos, CA
- 1.6 20 km (12 mi) ESE of Aptos, CA
- 1.7 27 km (17 mi) ESE of Aptos, CA
- 1.6 26 km (16 mi) ESE of Aptos, CA
- 2.0 17 km (11 mi) N of Aptos, CA · felt by 1
- 1.7 26 km (16 mi) ESE of Aptos, CA
- 1.6 26 km (16 mi) ESE of Aptos, CA
- 1.8 27 km (17 mi) ESE of Aptos, CA
- 1.8 25 km (16 mi) E of Aptos, CA
- 1.7 25 km (15 mi) NW of Aptos, CA
- 1.6 23 km (15 mi) NW of Aptos, CA
- 2.6 26 km (16 mi) E of Aptos, CA · felt by 47
- 1.6 26 km (16 mi) NW of Aptos, CA
- 4.6 24 km (15 mi) NW of Aptos, CA · felt by 33,078
- 2.0 27 km (17 mi) ESE of Aptos, CA · felt by 5
- 1.8 28 km (17 mi) ESE of Aptos, CA
- 1.6 23 km (14 mi) E of Aptos, CA
- 2.5 6 km (4 mi) ESE of Aptos, CA · felt by 122
- 2.1 27 km (17 mi) ESE of Aptos, CA
- 2.5 28 km (17 mi) ESE of Aptos, CA · felt by 2
- 2.5 27 km (17 mi) ESE of Aptos, CA
- 2.3 28 km (18 mi) W of Aptos, CA · felt by 1
- 2.7 30 km (19 mi) ENE of Aptos, CA
- 2.4 28 km (17 mi) ESE of Aptos, CA
- 2.7 27 km (17 mi) ESE of Aptos, CA
- 1.8 28 km (17 mi) E of Aptos, CA
- 2.7 28 km (17 mi) E of Aptos, CA · felt by 82
From the QuakeIndex database, which reads the USGS feed every 30 seconds and holds the USGS catalogue for the US from 2016 (M1.5+). Times are Aptos time. Distances are from the town centre. Quakes USGS named after Aptos are listed even when they are further out.
Show these earthquakes on your own site: a free card with the latest quakes near Aptos, for a local news site, school or neighborhood page.
On the map
The white circle is Aptos; dots are the 50 most recent earthquakes within 30 km. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Estimated shaking in Aptos
The strongest shaking in Aptos from a quake since 2016 is estimated at intensity III (weak), from the M 4.6 on 2 April 2026, 24 km away. Intensity II and III are felt by some people at rest indoors; IV by most people indoors; V and above wakes sleepers and moves objects.
| Magnitude | When | Distance | Shaking in Aptos (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| M 4.6 | 24 km | III · Weak · felt by 33,078 | |
| M 4.2 | 23 km | III · Weak · felt by 4,076 | |
| M 4.2 | 28 km | III · Weak · felt by 13,081 | |
| M 3.6 | 13 km | III · Weak · felt by 742 | |
| M 4.0 | 28 km | III · Weak · felt by 511 |
An estimate for the town centre from magnitude, depth and distance, with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses (Atkinson & Wald, 2007), on the Modified Mercalli scale. All 5 reach intensity II or more in town, where people at rest start to notice. Ground conditions change it street by street. It describes the past, not a hazard.
Before 2016
The USGS record since 1900 lists 31 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km of Aptos; the five largest:
- 6.9 The 1989 Loma Prieta, California Earthquake · 7 km NNE of Aptos
- 6.5 Near Morgan Hill, California · 28 km ENE of Aptos
- 6.3 22 km S of Davenport, California · 33 km SW of Aptos
- 6.3 16 km SW of Davenport, California · 40 km W of Aptos
- 6.2 Near San Jose, California · 37 km NNE of Aptos
USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900 to 2015. This is the record, not a forecast.
Nearest mapped faults
- East Monterey Bay fault, 4 km from its surface trace
- Zayante-Vergeles fault, 6 km from its surface trace
- San Andreas fault, 11 km from its surface trace
USGS Quaternary Fault and Fold Database. Near is not the same as on.
Nearby towns
Capitola 5 km · Live Oak 7 km · Santa Cruz 12 km · Scotts Valley 13 km · Watsonville 15 km
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 Aptos, CA: 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
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings or forecasts. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert and the MyShake app.