Every recorded earthquake within 30 km
Earthquakes near San Marcos, CA
No earthquake was likely felt in San Marcos in the 24 hours to 7:26 am PST (15:26 UTC). The last one was M 3.6, 56 km (35 mi) ENE, at 12:31 am PDT on 19 August 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 165 felt reports to USGS.
M 2.5
Latest: 1:40 pm PDT on 26 August 2020 · 19 km (12 mi) SW of San Marcos, CA
The most recent earthquake of M2.5 or more near San Marcos was M 2.5, 19 km (12 mi) SW of San Marcos, CA, at 1:40 pm PDT on 26 August 2020, 13 km deep. 65 people reported feeling it to USGS. The estimated shaking in San Marcos was intensity II (weak), felt by some people at rest indoors. 17 smaller earthquakes have been recorded near San Marcos since; the newest is first in the list below.
No earthquake of M1.5 or more was recorded within 30 km (19 mi) of San Marcos in the last 24 hours.
- Last 24 hours
- 0
- Last 7 days
- 0
- Last 30 days
- 0 · since 2016, about one every 5 months
- Last 12 months
- 2 · largest M 2.1 on 2 August 2026
- Since 2016
- 26 earthquakes of M1.5 or more within 30 km
- Largest since 2016
- M 2.5 on 26 August 2020, 19 km (12 mi) SW of San Marcos, CA
- Reported felt
- 9 of them have felt reports to USGS
- Nearest mapped fault
- Newport-Inglewood-Rose Canyon fault, 19 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 San Marcos, CA
Get a notification in this browser when USGS records an earthquake near San Marcos, 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 26
- 1.5 21 km (13 mi) N of San Marcos, CA
- 2.1 30 km (18 mi) WNW of San Marcos, CA
- 1.9 17 km (11 mi) E of San Marcos, CA
- 1.8 20 km (12 mi) ENE of San Marcos, CA · felt by 1
- 1.8 21 km (13 mi) W of San Marcos, CA
- 1.9 29 km (18 mi) E of San Marcos, CA · felt by 6
- 1.8 28 km (18 mi) WNW of San Marcos, CA
- 1.9 18 km (11 mi) ESE of San Marcos, CA · felt by 3
- 1.9 29 km (18 mi) NE of San Marcos, CA
- 1.6 13 km (8 mi) SE of San Marcos, CA · felt by 1
- 2.4 27 km (17 mi) SSW of San Marcos, CA
- 1.5 12 km (8 mi) SSE of San Marcos, CA
- 1.7 26 km (16 mi) WNW of San Marcos, CA
- 2.0 30 km (19 mi) NE of San Marcos, CA
- 1.9 30 km (19 mi) NE of San Marcos, CA
- 1.7 20 km (13 mi) E of San Marcos, CA
- 1.9 23 km (14 mi) WSW of San Marcos, CA
- 2.5 19 km (12 mi) SW of San Marcos, CA · felt by 65
- 2.2 23 km (14 mi) SW of San Marcos, CA · felt by 8
- 1.5 21 km (13 mi) N of San Marcos, CA
- 1.8 29 km (18 mi) SSW of San Marcos, CA
- 2.3 29 km (18 mi) SSW of San Marcos, CA · felt by 1
- 2.3 21 km (13 mi) ESE of San Marcos, CA · felt by 160
- 1.5 18 km (11 mi) SSE of San Marcos, CA
- 1.5 20 km (13 mi) WSW of San Marcos, CA
- 2.2 12 km (7 mi) SE of San Marcos, CA · felt by 31
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 San Marcos time. Distances are from the town centre. Quakes USGS named after San Marcos are listed even when they are further out.
Show these earthquakes on your own site: a free card with the latest quakes near San Marcos, for a local news site, school or neighborhood page.
On the map
The white circle is San Marcos; dots are the 26 most recent earthquakes within 30 km. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Estimated shaking in San Marcos
The strongest shaking in San Marcos from a quake since 2016 is estimated at intensity II (weak), from the M 2.2 on 13 September 2016, 12 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 San Marcos (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| M 2.2 | 12 km | II · Weak · felt by 31 | |
| M 2.5 | 19 km | II · Weak · felt by 65 | |
| M 1.5 | 12 km | II · Weak | |
| M 1.9 | 17 km | II · Weak | |
| M 2.4 | 27 km | II · 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. 1 of these reaches 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 one earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km of San Marcos:
- 5.0 16 km NW of Julian, California · 44 km E of San Marcos
USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900 to 2015. This is the record, not a forecast.
Nearest mapped faults
- Newport-Inglewood-Rose Canyon fault, 19 km from its surface trace
- Elsinore fault, 26 km from its surface trace
- Carlsbad fault, 28 km from its surface trace
USGS Quaternary Fault and Fold Database. Near is not the same as on.
Nearby towns
Escondido 8 km · Oceanside 21 km · Ramona 30 km · San Diego Country Estates 39 km · Temecula 39 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 San Marcos, 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.