QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0md

Earthquake near Hollister, CA

Yes: an earthquake was likely felt in Hollister in the last 24 hours. M 2.0, 14 km (9 mi) WSW of Hollister, at 2:11 am PST on 11 November 2026 (10:11 UTC); the estimated shaking in Hollister was intensity II (weak). Every earthquake near Hollister

This page: a magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded in Hollister, CA, at 10:46 pm PDT on 11 May 2023 (05:46 UTC), 9.9 km deep.

USGS: 2km N of Hollister, CA

60 km (37 mi) SE of San Jose, CA · 23 km (14 mi) SE of Gilroy, CA

10:46 pm PDT, May 11, 2023 · · 9.9 km deep · released about 33 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N San Benito County 40 kmSanta Clara County 47 kmSanta Cruz County 56 kmMonterey County 70 kmMerced County 70 kmStanislaus County 85 kmAlameda County 98 kmSan Mateo County 105 kmSan Joaquin County 119 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
10:46 pm PDT on 11 May 2023 ()
Where
in Hollister, CA · earthquakes near Hollister
Magnitude
M 2.0 (md)
Depth
9.9 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
San Benito County, 40 km SE
Nearest mapped fault
Calaveras 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 1280 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 13 km (8 mi) from the epicentre. 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.

Likely felt in: Hollister in town, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 33 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 5.8 450,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 320,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 29× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 33 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.7 on 2019-10-15 — about 10,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 25 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.9 The 1989 Loma Prieta, California Earthquake · 47 km WNW of this epicentre
  2. 6.5 Near Morgan Hill, California · 34 km NW of this epicentre
  3. 5.9 10 km SE of Tres Pinos, California · 22 km SE of this epicentre
  4. 5.8 Near Watsonville, California · 28 km WNW of this epicentre
  5. 5.8 Near Paicines, California · 26 km SSE 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 36.8682, -121.4002. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
San Benito County, CA 40 km (25 mi) SE earthquakes near San Benito County
Santa Clara County, CA 47 km (29 mi) NNW earthquakes near Santa Clara County
Santa Cruz County, CA 56 km (35 mi) WNW earthquakes near Santa Cruz County
Monterey County, CA 70 km (44 mi) S earthquakes near Monterey County
Merced County, CA 70 km (44 mi) ENE earthquakes near Merced County
Stanislaus County, CA 85 km (53 mi) NNE earthquakes near Stanislaus County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.9 11km NNW of Hollister, CA
  2. 2.5 8km NW of Pinnacles, CA
  3. 2.2 8km NNW of Pinnacles, CA
  4. 2.0 2km NNE of Pinnacles, CA
  5. 1.8 4km NNW of Pinnacles, CA
  6. 2.6 6km SSW of Gilroy, CA
  7. 1.8 2km NE of Pinnacles, CA
  8. 2.9 0km NNW of Pinnacles, CA
  9. 2.4 4km NNW of Pinnacles, CA
  10. 2.3 2km ENE of Pinnacles, CA
  11. 1.9 5km NNW of Day Valley, CA
  12. 2.3 7km NNW of Pinnacles, CA
  13. 1.6 13km ESE of Gilroy, CA
  14. 1.9 9km NW of Pinnacles, CA
  15. 1.8 1km WSW of Tres Pinos, 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.