QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0ml

Earthquake near Guadalupe, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Guadalupe in the 24 hours to 6:06 am PST (14:06 UTC). The last one was M 4.1, 68 km (42 mi) NNW, at 9:54 am PST on 18 November 2025, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 1,099 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Guadalupe

This page: a magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded 13 km (8 mi) southwest of Guadalupe, CA, at 12:19 am PDT on 25 August 2021 (07:19 UTC), 2.1 km deep. 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 13km SW of Guadalupe, CA

22 km (14 mi) W of Santa Maria, CA

12:19 am PDT, Aug 25, 2021 · · 2.1 km deep · released about 26 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N San Luis Obispo County 59 kmSanta Barbara County 71 km
Distance rings around the epicentre, with the nearest towns at their true direction and later quakes as coloured dots. Not a shaking map — see the USGS ShakeMap for that.
When
12:19 am PDT on 25 August 2021 ()
Where
13 km (8 mi) southwest of Guadalupe, CA · earthquakes near Guadalupe
Magnitude
M 2.0 (ml)
Depth
2.1 km below the surface
Felt
2 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
San Luis Obispo County, 59 km NNE
Nearest mapped fault
Hosgri fault, 6 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 1905 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 15 km (9 mi) from the epicentre. In Guadalupe, 13 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: Callender, Vandenberg Space Force Base, Orcutt, Santa Maria, Oceano, Nipomo.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 26 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 580,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 410,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 36× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 26 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 lists 4 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.9 The 1927 Lompoc, California Earthquake · 24 km S of this epicentre
  2. 5.8 Near Los Alamos, California · 28 km ESE of this epicentre
  3. 5.8 Near Los Alamos, California · 41 km ESE of this epicentre
  4. 5.0 5 km SSW of Nipomo, California · 20 km NE of this epicentre

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 34.8950, -120.6785. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
San Luis Obispo County, CA 59 km (36 mi) NNE earthquakes near San Luis Obispo County
Santa Barbara County, CA 71 km (44 mi) SE earthquakes near Santa Barbara County

Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.

Aftershocks so far

50 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.

  1. 3.6 8 km SW of Lompoc, CA
  2. 2.4 10 km SW of Lompoc, CA
  3. 2.0 3 km E of Avila Beach, CA
  4. 3.2 10 km SW of Lompoc, CA
  5. 2.5 5 km SSW of Los Alamos, CA
  6. 2.2 5 km SSW of Los Alamos, CA
  7. 1.8 3 km S of Baywood-Los Osos, CA
  8. 1.8 15 km NE of Arroyo Grande, CA
  9. 1.7 8 km ESE of San Luis Obispo, CA
  10. 2.2 19 km SSW of Lompoc, CA
  11. 1.5 11 km E of San Luis Obispo, CA
  12. 1.5 8 km ESE of Lompoc, CA
  13. 2.0 17 km W of Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA
  14. 1.6 22 km SW of Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA
  15. 1.5 4 km NW of San Luis Obispo, 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

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.