Every recorded earthquake within 30 km
Earthquakes near Scotts Valley, CA
No earthquake was likely felt in Scotts Valley in the 24 hours to 1:40 am PDT (08:40 UTC). The last one was M 2.3, 9 km (6 mi) NNE, at 2:58 am PDT on 9 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 3 felt reports to USGS.
M 4.6
Latest: 1:41 am PDT on 2 April 2026 · 11 km (7 mi) NW of Scotts Valley, CA
The most recent earthquake of M2.5 or more near Scotts Valley was M 4.6, 11 km (7 mi) NW of Scotts Valley, CA, at 1:41 am PDT on 2 April 2026, 10 km deep. 33,078 people reported feeling it to USGS. The estimated shaking in Scotts Valley was intensity IV (light), felt indoors by most people; dishes and windows rattle. 8 smaller earthquakes have been recorded near Scotts Valley since; the newest is first in the list below.
No earthquake of M1.5 or more was recorded within 30 km (19 mi) of Scotts Valley in the last 24 hours.
- Last 24 hours
- 0
- Last 7 days
- 1
- Last 30 days
- 2 · an average 30 days here since 2016: 1.3
- Last 12 months
- 16 · largest M 4.6 on 2 April 2026
- Since 2016
- 169 earthquakes of M1.5 or more within 30 km
- Largest since 2016
- M 4.6 on 2 April 2026, 11 km (7 mi) NW of Scotts Valley, CA
- Reported felt
- 65 of them have felt reports to USGS
- Nearest mapped fault
- Zayante-Vergeles 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.
The last 30 days
The latest 50
- 2.3 9 km (6 mi) NNE of Scotts Valley, CA · felt by 3
- 1.8 25 km (16 mi) SSE of Scotts Valley, CA
- 2.4 23 km (14 mi) W of Scotts Valley, CA · felt by 14
- 2.0 12 km (7 mi) NE of Scotts Valley, CA · felt by 1
- 1.6 24 km (15 mi) NNW of Scotts Valley, CA
- 1.7 12 km (7 mi) NW of Scotts Valley, CA
- 1.6 10 km (6 mi) NW of Scotts Valley, CA
- 1.6 13 km (8 mi) NW of Scotts Valley, CA
- 4.6 11 km (7 mi) NW of Scotts Valley, CA · felt by 33,078
- 1.9 20 km (12 mi) NNW of Scotts Valley, CA · felt by 36
- 2.5 19 km (12 mi) SE of Scotts Valley, CA · felt by 122
- 2.3 20 km (13 mi) WSW of Scotts Valley, CA · felt by 1
- 2.8 18 km (11 mi) E of Scotts Valley, CA · felt by 559
- 2.1 20 km (12 mi) E of Scotts Valley, CA · felt by 2
- 1.7 20 km (12 mi) E of Scotts Valley, CA
- 1.5 25 km (15 mi) NNW of Scotts Valley, CA
- 2.2 16 km (10 mi) E of Scotts Valley, CA · felt by 8
- 1.6 22 km (14 mi) NNW of Scotts Valley, CA
- 2.4 26 km (16 mi) E of Scotts Valley, CA · felt by 1
- 2.3 26 km (16 mi) SSW of Scotts Valley, CA · felt by 1
- 1.7 25 km (15 mi) NNW of Scotts Valley, CA
- 1.9 22 km (14 mi) N of Scotts Valley, CA · felt by 5
- 1.7 25 km (15 mi) SSW of Scotts Valley, CA · felt by 2
- 1.8 29 km (18 mi) NNW of Scotts Valley, CA · felt by 2
- 1.7 23 km (14 mi) SSE of Scotts Valley, CA
- 1.6 24 km (15 mi) SSE of Scotts Valley, CA
- 1.5 22 km (14 mi) NW of Scotts Valley, CA
- 1.9 21 km (13 mi) SW of Scotts Valley, CA
- 1.5 22 km (14 mi) NNW of Scotts Valley, CA · felt by 1
- 2.4 23 km (14 mi) NNW of Scotts Valley, CA
- 1.8 22 km (13 mi) SW of Scotts Valley, CA
- 2.1 19 km (12 mi) E of Scotts Valley, CA · felt by 1
- 1.9 27 km (17 mi) E of Scotts Valley, CA
- 2.1 28 km (17 mi) NE of Scotts Valley, CA · felt by 16
- 1.6 29 km (18 mi) NNW of Scotts Valley, CA · felt by 1
- 1.6 26 km (16 mi) ESE of Scotts Valley, CA
- 2.1 20 km (13 mi) SW of Scotts Valley, CA · felt by 1
- 1.5 23 km (14 mi) WSW of Scotts Valley, CA
- 1.7 13 km (8 mi) E of Scotts Valley, CA
- 1.6 14 km (9 mi) E of Scotts Valley, CA
- 1.9 14 km (9 mi) E of Scotts Valley, CA
- 2.1 14 km (9 mi) ENE of Scotts Valley, CA
- 2.4 14 km (9 mi) E of Scotts Valley, CA · felt by 7
- 1.6 14 km (9 mi) ENE of Scotts Valley, CA
- 1.6 21 km (13 mi) SW of Scotts Valley, CA
- 1.8 28 km (18 mi) W of Scotts Valley, CA
- 2.7 21 km (13 mi) E of Scotts Valley, CA · felt by 52
- 1.5 10 km (6 mi) N of Scotts Valley, CA
- 2.2 29 km (18 mi) N of Scotts Valley, CA · felt by 5
- 1.7 25 km (16 mi) N of Scotts Valley, 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 Scotts Valley time. Distances are from the town centre. Quakes USGS named after Scotts Valley are listed even when they are further out.
Show these earthquakes on your own site: a free card with the latest quakes near Scotts Valley, for a local news site, school or neighborhood page.
On the map
The white circle is Scotts Valley; dots are the 50 most recent earthquakes within 30 km. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Estimated shaking in Scotts Valley
The strongest shaking in Scotts Valley from a quake since 2016 is estimated at intensity IV (light), from the M 4.6 on 2 April 2026, 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 Scotts Valley (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| M 4.6 | 11 km | IV · Light · felt by 33,078 | |
| M 3.6 | 23 km | III · Weak · felt by 742 | |
| M 3.4 | 22 km | II · Weak · felt by 629 | |
| M 2.7 | 8 km | II · Weak · felt by 106 | |
| M 2.7 | 18 km | II · Weak · felt by 201 |
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 27 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km of Scotts Valley; the five largest:
- 6.9 The 1989 Loma Prieta, California Earthquake · 12 km E of Scotts Valley
- 6.5 Near Morgan Hill, California · 34 km ENE of Scotts Valley
- 6.3 22 km S of Davenport, California · 32 km SSW of Scotts Valley
- 6.3 16 km SW of Davenport, California · 32 km WSW of Scotts Valley
- 6.2 Near San Jose, California · 34 km NE of Scotts Valley
USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900 to 2015. This is the record, not a forecast.
Nearest mapped faults
- Zayante-Vergeles fault, 6 km from its surface trace
- Butano fault, 10 km from its surface trace
- San Andreas fault, 11 km from its surface trace
USGS Quaternary Fault and Fold Database. Near is not the same as on.
Nearby towns
Live Oak 8 km · Santa Cruz 9 km · Capitola 10 km · Boulder Creek 13 km · Corralitos 20 km · Los Gatos 20 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 Scotts Valley, 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.