Every recorded earthquake within 30 km
Earthquakes near El Monte, CA
No earthquake was likely felt in El Monte in the 24 hours to 1:01 am PDT (08:01 UTC). The last one was M 3.2, 34 km (21 mi) SSW, at 12:44 am PDT on 9 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 1,088 felt reports to USGS.
M 2.9
Latest: 1:32 pm PDT on 17 September 2026 · 28 km (17 mi) SW of El Monte, CA
The most recent earthquake of M2.5 or more near El Monte was M 2.9, 28 km (17 mi) SW of El Monte, CA, at 1:32 pm PDT on 17 September 2026, 13 km deep. 516 people reported feeling it to USGS. The estimated shaking in El Monte was intensity II (weak), felt by some people at rest indoors. 2 smaller earthquakes have been recorded near El Monte since; the newest is first in the list below.
No earthquake of M1.5 or more was recorded within 30 km (19 mi) of El Monte in the last 24 hours.
- Last 24 hours
- 0
- Last 7 days
- 1
- Last 30 days
- 4 · an average 30 days here since 2016: 3.6
- Last 12 months
- 44 · largest M 3.1 on 6 September 2026
- Since 2016
- 469 earthquakes of M1.5 or more within 30 km
- Largest since 2016
- M 4.5 on 18 September 2020, 6 km (4 mi) SW of El Monte, CA
- Reported felt
- 204 of them have felt reports to USGS
- Nearest mapped fault
- Raymond fault, 8 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.
The last 30 days
The latest 50
- 1.5 5 km (3 mi) NE of El Monte, CA
- 1.6 27 km (17 mi) SW of El Monte, CA
- 2.9 28 km (17 mi) SW of El Monte, CA · felt by 516
- 1.6 17 km (10 mi) SSE of El Monte, CA
- 2.6 29 km (18 mi) WSW of El Monte, CA · felt by 23
- 1.7 30 km (18 mi) WSW of El Monte, CA
- 1.9 30 km (18 mi) WSW of El Monte, CA
- 2.2 29 km (18 mi) WSW of El Monte, CA
- 1.6 30 km (19 mi) WSW of El Monte, CA
- 2.0 30 km (19 mi) WSW of El Monte, CA · felt by 1
- 2.6 30 km (18 mi) WSW of El Monte, CA · felt by 24
- 1.7 28 km (17 mi) W of El Monte, CA
- 3.1 28 km (18 mi) SW of El Monte, CA · felt by 1,125
- 1.9 19 km (12 mi) SW of El Monte, CA
- 1.7 24 km (15 mi) ENE of El Monte, CA
- 1.6 20 km (13 mi) WNW of El Monte, CA
- 2.0 20 km (12 mi) SE of El Monte, CA · felt by 10
- 1.6 16 km (10 mi) SSW of El Monte, CA
- 2.3 29 km (18 mi) SSW of El Monte, CA · felt by 196
- 2.4 29 km (18 mi) SSW of El Monte, CA · felt by 443
- 1.7 23 km (14 mi) SE of El Monte, CA
- 1.8 9 km (6 mi) SE of El Monte, CA
- 1.5 29 km (18 mi) WSW of El Monte, CA
- 1.7 25 km (16 mi) SE of El Monte, CA
- 2.0 24 km (15 mi) ENE of El Monte, CA
- 2.1 24 km (15 mi) SSW of El Monte, CA · felt by 63
- 1.6 30 km (18 mi) WSW of El Monte, CA
- 1.9 30 km (19 mi) WSW of El Monte, CA
- 1.6 27 km (17 mi) SSW of El Monte, CA
- 1.7 29 km (18 mi) WSW of El Monte, CA
- 1.7 19 km (12 mi) NNW of El Monte, CA
- 1.5 21 km (13 mi) SE of El Monte, CA
- 1.8 7 km (4 mi) E of El Monte, CA
- 1.7 23 km (15 mi) E of El Monte, CA
- 1.5 23 km (14 mi) SSW of El Monte, CA
- 1.8 7 km (4 mi) NE of El Monte, CA
- 1.7 24 km (15 mi) ENE of El Monte, CA
- 1.9 23 km (15 mi) E of El Monte, CA · felt by 1
- 1.8 22 km (13 mi) ENE of El Monte, CA
- 1.7 21 km (13 mi) W of El Monte, CA
- 1.7 30 km (19 mi) WSW of El Monte, CA
- 1.5 30 km (19 mi) WSW of El Monte, CA
- 2.3 30 km (19 mi) WSW of El Monte, CA
- 2.1 30 km (19 mi) WSW of El Monte, CA · felt by 1
- 2.1 21 km (13 mi) W of El Monte, CA · felt by 25
- 2.3 30 km (18 mi) SE of El Monte, CA · felt by 1
- 1.5 29 km (18 mi) SW of El Monte, CA
- 1.9 28 km (17 mi) SW of El Monte, CA · felt by 1
- 1.5 17 km (11 mi) SSE of El Monte, CA
- 3.4 28 km (18 mi) ENE of El Monte, CA · felt by 549
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 El Monte time. Distances are from the town centre. Quakes USGS named after El Monte are listed even when they are further out.
Show these earthquakes on your own site: a free card with the latest quakes near El Monte, for a local news site, school or neighborhood page.
On the map
The white circle is El Monte; dots are the 50 most recent earthquakes within 30 km. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Estimated shaking in El Monte
The strongest shaking in El Monte from a quake since 2016 is estimated at intensity IV (light), from the M 4.5 on 18 September 2020, 6 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 El Monte (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| M 4.5 | 6 km | IV · Light · felt by 21,402 | |
| M 4.4 | 14 km | IV · Light · felt by 24,250 | |
| M 4.4 | 24 km | III · Weak · felt by 6,155 | |
| M 3.4 | 14 km | III · Weak · felt by 3,589 | |
| M 3.6 | 17 km | III · Weak · felt by 3,679 |
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 21 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km of El Monte; the five largest:
- 6.7 Northridge, California, earthquake · 50 km WNW of El Monte
- 6.6 1971 San Fernando Earthquake, California · 50 km NW of El Monte
- 6.4 The 1933 Long Beach, California Earthquake · 49 km S of El Monte
- 5.9 The 1987 Whittier Narrows, California Earthquake · 5 km W of El Monte
- 5.9 1km ENE of Granada Hills, California · 49 km WNW of El Monte
USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900 to 2015. This is the record, not a forecast.
Nearest mapped faults
- Raymond fault, 8 km from its surface trace
- Sierra Madre fault, 11 km from its surface trace
- Puente Hills blind thrust system, 14 km from its surface trace
USGS Quaternary Fault and Fold Database. Near is not the same as on.
Nearby towns
South El Monte 3 km · Rosemead 4 km · Avocado Heights 5 km · Temple City 5 km · West Puente Valley 6 km · Baldwin Park 6 km · San Gabriel 8 km · Arcadia 8 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 El Monte, 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.