Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 2.5ml
Earthquake near Encinitas, CA
No earthquake was likely felt in Encinitas in the 24 hours to 8:25 am PST (16:25 UTC). The last one was M 4.9, 141 km (88 mi) NE, at 5:56 pm PST on 19 January 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 8,214 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Encinitas
This page: a magnitude 2.5 earthquake was recorded 2 km (1 mi) south-southwest of Encinitas, CA, at 1:40 pm PDT on 26 August 2020 (20:40 UTC), 13 km deep. 65 people have reported feeling it to USGS.
USGS: 2km SSW of Encinitas, CA
28 km (17 mi) NW of San Diego, CA · 5 km (3 mi) SW of Encinitas, CA
- When
- 1:40 pm PDT on 26 August 2020 ()
- Where
- 2 km (1 mi) south-southwest of Encinitas, CA · earthquakes near Encinitas
- Magnitude
- M 2.5 (ml)
- Depth
- 13 km below the surface
- Felt
- 65 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
- Nearest
- San Diego County, 49 km E
- Nearest mapped fault
- Newport-Inglewood-Rose Canyon fault, 1 km from its surface trace — near is not the same as on
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2196 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Encinitas, CA
Get a notification in this browser when USGS records an earthquake near Encinitas, 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.
This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.
At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 18 km (11 mi) from the epicentre. In Encinitas, 2 km away, the estimate is intensity II (weak). Estimated from magnitude, depth and distance with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses; felt reports, where there are any, are the measurement.
Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Solana Beach, Del Mar, Rancho Santa Fe, Fairbanks Ranch, Carlsbad, San Marcos.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 180 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.5 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 83,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 59,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 5.2× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 2.5 about 180 lb of TNT
Energy from the Gutenberg–Richter relation (log10E = 1.5M + 4.8), rounded to two figures; bar length is magnitude, which is already a logarithm of energy. Magnitudes of past earthquakes from the USGS catalogue.
For this area
No earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded within 50 km since our catalogue begins in 2016.
Before 2016, the USGS record since 1900 lists no earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km.
Since 2016: the QuakeIndex catalogue (US, M1.5+), built from the USGS FDSN event service. Before 2016: USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900. Distances are between epicentres. This is the record, not a forecast.
Where
Epicentre 33.0187, -117.3050. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego County, CA | 49 km (31 mi) | E | earthquakes near San Diego County |
| Orange County, CA | 85 km (53 mi) | NNW | earthquakes near Orange County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
27 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 1.6 6km NNW of Lakeside, CA
- 1.8 10km NNW of Alpine, CA
- 1.9 10km SSW of San Diego Country Estates, CA
- 2.0 14km SW of Coronado, CA
- 1.6 9km W of Palomar Observatory, CA
- 1.6 9km W of Palomar Observatory, CA
- 2.1 10km W of Palomar Observatory, CA
- 1.6 6km NNW of Lakeside, CA
- 1.9 30km WSW of La Jolla, CA
- 2.5 12km WSW of Coronado, CA
- 2.0 3km SSW of La Jolla, CA
- 1.9 25km WSW of Carlsbad, CA
- 2.1 26km WSW of Carlsbad, CA
- 3.1 26km WSW of Carlsbad, CA
- 1.6 13km SW of Coronado, CA
Counted from the QuakeIndex database, which ingests the USGS feed every 30 seconds · as of . QuakeIndex does not forecast aftershocks. When USGS issues an operational aftershock forecast it appears on the USGS event page.
On USGS
- The official USGS event page — the source of record for every value above
- Did you feel it? Report it to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us
- ShakeMap for this event, when USGS has produced one
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.