Every recorded earthquake within 30 km
Earthquakes near Foster City, CA
No earthquake was likely felt in Foster City in the 24 hours to 1:02 am PDT (08:02 UTC). The last one was M 1.9, 14 km (9 mi) S, at 4:14 pm PDT on 11 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 1 felt report to USGS.
M 2.8
Latest: 9:07 am PDT on 13 August 2026 · 25 km (15 mi) NNE of Foster City, CA
The most recent earthquake of M2.5 or more near Foster City was M 2.8, 25 km (15 mi) NNE of Foster City, CA, at 9:07 am PDT on 13 August 2026, 6 km deep. 227 people reported feeling it to USGS. The estimated shaking in Foster City was intensity II (weak), felt by some people at rest indoors. 23 smaller earthquakes have been recorded near Foster City since; the newest is first in the list below.
No earthquake of M1.5 or more was recorded within 30 km (19 mi) of Foster City in the last 24 hours.
- Last 24 hours
- 0
- Last 7 days
- 2
- Last 30 days
- 8 · an average 30 days here since 2016: 5.7
- Last 12 months
- 121 · largest M 3.8 on 13 August 2026
- Since 2016
- 751 earthquakes of M1.5 or more within 30 km
- Largest since 2016
- M 3.9 on 28 June 2021, 21 km (13 mi) NE of Foster City, CA
- Reported felt
- 359 of them have felt reports to USGS
- Nearest mapped fault
- San Andreas fault, 9 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
- 1.9 14 km (9 mi) S of Foster City, CA · felt by 1
- 1.7 25 km (16 mi) SSE of Foster City, CA
- 2.3 18 km (11 mi) WNW of Foster City, CA · felt by 54
- 2.1 19 km (12 mi) WNW of Foster City, CA · felt by 8
- 1.8 20 km (13 mi) WNW of Foster City, CA
- 1.7 14 km (9 mi) S of Foster City, CA
- 1.8 15 km (9 mi) S of Foster City, CA · felt by 5
- 2.5 15 km (9 mi) S of Foster City, CA · felt by 179
- 2.5 26 km (16 mi) NNE of Foster City, CA · felt by 64
- 1.6 22 km (13 mi) ENE of Foster City, CA
- 1.6 18 km (11 mi) WNW of Foster City, CA
- 2.0 18 km (11 mi) WNW of Foster City, CA · felt by 7
- 1.7 19 km (12 mi) WNW of Foster City, CA
- 2.1 19 km (12 mi) WNW of Foster City, CA · felt by 11
- 1.6 19 km (12 mi) WNW of Foster City, CA
- 2.3 18 km (11 mi) N of Foster City, CA · felt by 8
- 1.5 17 km (10 mi) SSE of Foster City, CA
- 1.8 17 km (10 mi) SSE of Foster City, CA
- 1.7 26 km (16 mi) SSE of Foster City, CA
- 1.9 17 km (11 mi) SSE of Foster City, CA · felt by 1
- 1.6 20 km (13 mi) ENE of Foster City, CA
- 2.2 24 km (15 mi) NNE of Foster City, CA · felt by 9
- 1.6 25 km (15 mi) NNE of Foster City, CA
- 2.8 25 km (15 mi) NNE of Foster City, CA · felt by 227
- 3.8 24 km (15 mi) NNE of Foster City, CA · felt by 7,876
- 2.1 24 km (15 mi) NNE of Foster City, CA · felt by 25
- 1.9 26 km (16 mi) NNE of Foster City, CA · felt by 1
- 1.6 19 km (12 mi) S of Foster City, CA
- 2.6 23 km (14 mi) NNE of Foster City, CA · felt by 417
- 1.5 18 km (11 mi) WNW of Foster City, CA
- 1.5 18 km (11 mi) WNW of Foster City, CA
- 1.5 18 km (11 mi) WNW of Foster City, CA
- 1.7 18 km (11 mi) WNW of Foster City, CA
- 2.0 21 km (13 mi) ENE of Foster City, CA · felt by 6
- 1.6 11 km (7 mi) NW of Foster City, CA
- 2.4 21 km (13 mi) ENE of Foster City, CA · felt by 42
- 1.6 18 km (11 mi) WNW of Foster City, CA
- 2.3 18 km (11 mi) WNW of Foster City, CA · felt by 19
- 1.5 24 km (15 mi) NNE of Foster City, CA
- 1.9 18 km (11 mi) WNW of Foster City, CA
- 1.9 26 km (16 mi) SSE of Foster City, CA
- 1.6 18 km (11 mi) WNW of Foster City, CA
- 2.1 26 km (16 mi) E of Foster City, CA · felt by 1
- 1.7 18 km (11 mi) WNW of Foster City, CA
- 1.8 24 km (15 mi) NNE of Foster City, CA
- 1.6 25 km (15 mi) NNE of Foster City, CA
- 2.0 25 km (15 mi) NNE of Foster City, CA · felt by 1
- 1.7 18 km (11 mi) WNW of Foster City, CA
- 1.8 18 km (11 mi) WNW of Foster City, CA
- 2.3 18 km (11 mi) WNW of Foster City, CA · felt by 14
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 Foster City time. Distances are from the town centre. Quakes USGS named after Foster City are listed even when they are further out.
Show these earthquakes on your own site: a free card with the latest quakes near Foster City, for a local news site, school or neighborhood page.
On the map
The white circle is Foster City; dots are the 50 most recent earthquakes within 30 km. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Estimated shaking in Foster City
The strongest shaking in Foster City from a quake since 2016 is estimated at intensity III (weak), from the M 3.7 on 27 October 2023, 11 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 Foster City (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| M 3.7 | 11 km | III · Weak · felt by 16,471 | |
| M 3.9 | 21 km | III · Weak · felt by 12,071 | |
| M 3.8 | 24 km | III · Weak · felt by 7,876 | |
| M 3.6 | 22 km | III · Weak · felt by 4,288 | |
| M 3.9 | 29 km | III · Weak · felt by 3,939 |
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 7 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km of Foster City; the five largest:
- 7.9 The 1906 San Francisco, California Earthquake · 33 km NW of Foster City
- 5.8 7 km NNW of Boulder Creek, California · 43 km SSE of Foster City
- 5.5 Santa Cruz Mountains, California · 49 km SSE of Foster City
- 5.5 6 km NNE of East Foothills, California · 46 km ESE of Foster City
- 5.3 The 1957 San Francisco, California Earthquake · 22 km WNW of Foster City
USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900 to 2015. This is the record, not a forecast.
Nearest mapped faults
- San Andreas fault, 9 km from its surface trace
- Serra fault, 10 km from its surface trace
- San Gregorio fault, 19 km from its surface trace
USGS Quaternary Fault and Fold Database. Near is not the same as on.
Nearby towns
Belmont 4 km · San Mateo 5 km · San Carlos 6 km · Redwood City 9 km · Burlingame 9 km · Hillsborough 10 km · Millbrae 11 km · Menlo Park 14 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 Foster City, 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.