Every recorded earthquake within 30 km
Earthquakes near Atherton, CA
No earthquake was likely felt in Atherton in the 24 hours to 5:56 pm PST (01:56 UTC). The last one was M 1.9, 5 km (3 mi) WSW, at 4:14 pm PDT on 11 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 1 felt report to USGS.
M 2.6
Latest: 7:17 am PDT on 4 June 2026 · 27 km (17 mi) ENE of Atherton, CA
The most recent earthquake of M2.5 or more near Atherton was M 2.6, 27 km (17 mi) ENE of Atherton, CA, at 7:17 am PDT on 4 June 2026, 9 km deep. 8 people reported feeling it to USGS. The estimated shaking in Atherton was intensity II (weak), felt by some people at rest indoors. 39 smaller earthquakes have been recorded near Atherton since; the newest is first in the list below.
No earthquake of M1.5 or more was recorded within 30 km (19 mi) of Atherton in the last 24 hours.
- Last 24 hours
- 0
- Last 7 days
- 1
- Last 30 days
- 3 · an average 30 days here since 2016: 4.7
- Last 12 months
- 92 · largest M 2.6 on 4 June 2026
- Since 2016
- 620 earthquakes of M1.5 or more within 30 km
- Largest since 2016
- M 3.9 on 28 June 2021, 28 km (17 mi) NNE of Atherton, CA
- Reported felt
- 235 of them have felt reports to USGS
- Nearest mapped fault
- San Andreas fault, 6 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 Atherton, CA
Get a notification in this browser when USGS records an earthquake near Atherton, 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
- 2.0 20 km (12 mi) SSE of Atherton, CA · felt by 4
- 1.5 28 km (17 mi) SE of Atherton, CA
- 1.6 21 km (13 mi) WNW of Atherton, CA
- 1.9 5 km (3 mi) WSW of Atherton, CA · felt by 1
- 1.8 29 km (18 mi) SSW of Atherton, CA
- 1.7 13 km (8 mi) SSE of Atherton, CA
- 2.3 28 km (18 mi) WNW of Atherton, CA · felt by 54
- 1.7 5 km (3 mi) SW of Atherton, CA
- 1.8 6 km (3 mi) SW of Atherton, CA · felt by 5
- 2.5 6 km (3 mi) SW of Atherton, CA · felt by 179
- 1.6 23 km (14 mi) NE of Atherton, CA
- 1.6 29 km (18 mi) NW of Atherton, CA
- 2.0 28 km (17 mi) WNW of Atherton, CA · felt by 7
- 1.7 29 km (18 mi) WNW of Atherton, CA
- 2.1 29 km (18 mi) WNW of Atherton, CA · felt by 11
- 1.6 29 km (18 mi) NW of Atherton, CA
- 2.3 30 km (18 mi) N of Atherton, CA · felt by 8
- 1.5 6 km (4 mi) SSW of Atherton, CA
- 1.8 6 km (4 mi) SSW of Atherton, CA
- 1.7 14 km (9 mi) S of Atherton, CA
- 1.9 6 km (4 mi) SSW of Atherton, CA · felt by 1
- 1.6 24 km (15 mi) NNE of Atherton, CA
- 1.6 10 km (6 mi) SSW of Atherton, CA
- 1.5 29 km (18 mi) NW of Atherton, CA
- 1.5 29 km (18 mi) WNW of Atherton, CA
- 1.5 28 km (17 mi) WNW of Atherton, CA
- 1.7 29 km (18 mi) WNW of Atherton, CA
- 2.0 24 km (15 mi) NNE of Atherton, CA · felt by 6
- 1.6 23 km (14 mi) NW of Atherton, CA
- 2.4 25 km (15 mi) NNE of Atherton, CA · felt by 42
- 1.6 29 km (18 mi) WNW of Atherton, CA
- 2.3 29 km (18 mi) WNW of Atherton, CA · felt by 19
- 1.9 29 km (18 mi) WNW of Atherton, CA
- 1.5 27 km (17 mi) ENE of Atherton, CA
- 1.9 14 km (9 mi) S of Atherton, CA
- 1.6 28 km (18 mi) WNW of Atherton, CA
- 2.1 23 km (15 mi) NE of Atherton, CA · felt by 1
- 1.7 29 km (18 mi) NW of Atherton, CA
- 1.8 26 km (16 mi) ENE of Atherton, CA · felt by 5
- 2.6 27 km (17 mi) ENE of Atherton, CA · felt by 8
- 1.7 29 km (18 mi) WNW of Atherton, CA
- 1.8 29 km (18 mi) WNW of Atherton, CA
- 2.3 29 km (18 mi) WNW of Atherton, CA · felt by 14
- 1.6 26 km (16 mi) S of Atherton, CA
- 1.8 25 km (16 mi) NNE of Atherton, CA
- 2.2 25 km (16 mi) NNE of Atherton, CA · felt by 39
- 1.9 29 km (18 mi) SSE of Atherton, CA · felt by 36
- 1.5 28 km (17 mi) WNW of Atherton, CA
- 1.6 27 km (17 mi) WNW of Atherton, CA
- 1.7 28 km (18 mi) WNW of Atherton, CA
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 Atherton time. Distances are from the town centre. Quakes USGS named after Atherton are listed even when they are further out.
Show these earthquakes on your own site: a free card with the latest quakes near Atherton, for a local news site, school or neighborhood page.
On the map
The white circle is Atherton; dots are the 50 most recent earthquakes within 30 km. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Estimated shaking in Atherton
The strongest shaking in Atherton from a quake since 2016 is estimated at intensity III (weak), from the M 3.9 on 28 June 2021, 28 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 Atherton (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| M 3.9 | 28 km | III · Weak · felt by 12,071 | |
| M 3.7 | 24 km | III · Weak · felt by 16,471 | |
| M 3.6 | 24 km | III · Weak · felt by 4,288 | |
| M 2.5 | 6 km | III · Weak · felt by 179 | |
| M 2.9 | 12 km | III · Weak |
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 15 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km of Atherton; the five largest:
- 7.9 The 1906 San Francisco, California Earthquake · 45 km NW of Atherton
- 6.2 Near San Jose, California · 39 km ESE of Atherton
- 6.2 The 1984 Morgan Hill, California Earthquake · 49 km ESE of Atherton
- 6.1 Near San Jose, California · 46 km SE of Atherton
- 5.8 7 km NNW of Boulder Creek, California · 31 km S of Atherton
USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900 to 2015. This is the record, not a forecast.
Nearest mapped faults
- San Andreas fault, 6 km from its surface trace
- Monte Vista-Shannon fault, 9 km from its surface trace
- Serra fault, 21 km from its surface trace
USGS Quaternary Fault and Fold Database. Near is not the same as on.
Nearby towns
Menlo Park 2 km · Redwood City 4 km · East Palo Alto 5 km · Palo Alto 5 km · San Carlos 8 km · Belmont 10 km · Los Altos 11 km · Foster City 13 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 Atherton, 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.