Every recorded earthquake within 30 km
Earthquakes near San Rafael, CA
No earthquake was likely felt in San Rafael in the 24 hours to 1:40 am PDT (08:40 UTC). The last one was M 2.4, 14 km (9 mi) NNW, at 6:21 pm PDT on 26 September 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town.
M 2.7
Latest: 3:55 pm PDT on 10 May 2026 · 22 km (14 mi) E of San Rafael, CA
The most recent earthquake of M2.5 or more near San Rafael was M 2.7, 22 km (14 mi) E of San Rafael, CA, at 3:55 pm PDT on 10 May 2026, 6 km deep. 172 people reported feeling it to USGS. The estimated shaking in San Rafael was intensity II (weak), felt by some people at rest indoors. 10 smaller earthquakes have been recorded near San Rafael 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 Rafael in the last 24 hours.
- Last 24 hours
- 0
- Last 7 days
- 0
- Last 30 days
- 5 · an average 30 days here since 2016: 3.6
- Last 12 months
- 55 · largest M 3.5 on 13 November 2025
- Since 2016
- 469 earthquakes of M1.5 or more within 30 km
- Largest since 2016
- M 4.4 on 4 January 2018, 27 km (17 mi) ESE of San Rafael, CA
- Reported felt
- 239 of them have felt reports to USGS
- Nearest mapped fault
- San Andreas fault, 14 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
- 1.7 29 km (18 mi) ESE of San Rafael, CA
- 2.0 19 km (12 mi) E of San Rafael, CA
- 2.4 14 km (9 mi) NNW of San Rafael, CA
- 2.3 28 km (18 mi) ESE of San Rafael, CA · felt by 2
- 1.7 3 km (2 mi) ENE of San Rafael, CA
- 1.5 8 km (5 mi) ENE of San Rafael, CA
- 2.0 27 km (17 mi) ESE of San Rafael, CA · felt by 2
- 1.6 21 km (13 mi) ESE of San Rafael, CA
- 1.6 21 km (13 mi) ENE of San Rafael, CA
- 1.7 21 km (13 mi) ENE of San Rafael, CA
- 2.7 22 km (14 mi) E of San Rafael, CA · felt by 172
- 1.9 28 km (17 mi) ESE of San Rafael, CA · felt by 11
- 1.9 22 km (14 mi) E of San Rafael, CA
- 2.5 22 km (13 mi) E of San Rafael, CA · felt by 96
- 1.9 30 km (19 mi) S of San Rafael, CA · felt by 2
- 1.6 26 km (16 mi) S of San Rafael, CA
- 2.2 28 km (17 mi) S of San Rafael, CA · felt by 14
- 1.6 24 km (15 mi) S of San Rafael, CA
- 2.1 22 km (14 mi) ESE of San Rafael, CA · felt by 4
- 2.5 17 km (10 mi) NE of San Rafael, CA · felt by 8
- 1.5 7 km (4 mi) E of San Rafael, CA
- 1.8 28 km (17 mi) S of San Rafael, CA
- 1.7 24 km (15 mi) S of San Rafael, CA
- 1.7 27 km (17 mi) S of San Rafael, CA
- 1.5 28 km (18 mi) ESE of San Rafael, CA
- 2.2 6 km (3 mi) SW of San Rafael, CA · felt by 8
- 1.7 7 km (4 mi) ENE of San Rafael, CA · felt by 2
- 2.4 24 km (15 mi) SW of San Rafael, CA · felt by 5
- 1.6 28 km (17 mi) ESE of San Rafael, CA
- 1.5 27 km (17 mi) ESE of San Rafael, CA
- 2.5 13 km (8 mi) ENE of San Rafael, CA · felt by 25
- 1.8 20 km (13 mi) SSW of San Rafael, CA
- 2.3 27 km (17 mi) ESE of San Rafael, CA · felt by 15
- 1.5 27 km (17 mi) ESE of San Rafael, CA
- 1.7 23 km (15 mi) S of San Rafael, CA
- 1.9 21 km (13 mi) SSW of San Rafael, CA
- 1.7 28 km (17 mi) ESE of San Rafael, CA · felt by 1
- 2.3 29 km (18 mi) S of San Rafael, CA · felt by 4
- 1.7 22 km (14 mi) S of San Rafael, CA
- 1.6 29 km (18 mi) ENE of San Rafael, CA
- 3.5 28 km (17 mi) ENE of San Rafael, CA · felt by 2,109
- 1.7 28 km (17 mi) ESE of San Rafael, CA
- 1.6 16 km (10 mi) NE of San Rafael, CA
- 2.1 10 km (6 mi) SW of San Rafael, CA · felt by 1
- 2.2 27 km (17 mi) ESE of San Rafael, CA · felt by 10
- 1.6 7 km (4 mi) E of San Rafael, CA
- 1.6 22 km (14 mi) S of San Rafael, CA
- 2.1 29 km (18 mi) ENE of San Rafael, CA · felt by 21
- 2.2 28 km (17 mi) NNE of San Rafael, CA
- 1.9 27 km (17 mi) ESE of San Rafael, 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 San Rafael time. Distances are from the town centre. Quakes USGS named after San Rafael are listed even when they are further out.
Show these earthquakes on your own site: a free card with the latest quakes near San Rafael, for a local news site, school or neighborhood page.
On the map
The white circle is San Rafael; dots are the 50 most recent earthquakes within 30 km. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Estimated shaking in San Rafael
The strongest shaking in San Rafael from a quake since 2016 is estimated at intensity III (weak), from the M 4.4 on 4 January 2018, 27 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 Rafael (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| M 4.4 | 27 km | III · Weak · felt by 31,787 | |
| M 4.3 | 27 km | III · Weak · felt by 31,810 | |
| M 3.7 | 16 km | III · Weak · felt by 4,337 | |
| M 3.6 | 21 km | III · Weak · felt by 9,395 | |
| M 3.5 | 24 km | III · Weak · felt by 6,561 |
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 5 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km of San Rafael:
- 7.9 The 1906 San Francisco, California Earthquake · 25 km S of San Rafael
- 6.0 The 2014 South Napa, California Earthquake · 33 km NE of San Rafael
- 5.3 The 1957 San Francisco, California Earthquake · 34 km S of San Rafael
- 5.3 3 km E of Bloomfield, California · 45 km NNW of San Rafael
- 5.3 Northern California · 46 km NNW of San Rafael
USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900 to 2015. This is the record, not a forecast.
Nearest mapped faults
- San Andreas fault, 14 km from its surface trace
- San Gregorio fault, 16 km from its surface trace
- Rodgers Creek fault, 22 km from its surface trace
USGS Quaternary Fault and Fold Database. Near is not the same as on.
Nearby towns
San Anselmo 3 km · Larkspur 4 km · Mill Valley 8 km · Tamalpais-Homestead Valley 11 km · Novato 15 km · Black Point-Green Point 16 km · San Pablo 16 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 Rafael, 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.