QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 4.2mw

Earthquake near Salinas, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Salinas in the 24 hours to 11:00 pm PST (07:00 UTC). The last one was M 2.7, 18 km (11 mi) ENE, at 5:38 am PDT on 29 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 3 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Salinas

This page: a magnitude 4.2 earthquake was recorded 29 km (18 mi) east of Salinas, CA, at 2:38 pm PDT on 19 July 2016 (21:38 UTC), 5.9 km deep. 773 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 10 km S of Tres Pinos, California

80 km (50 mi) SSE of San Jose, CA · 27 km (17 mi) E of Salinas, CA

2:38 pm PDT, Jul 19, 2016 · · 5.9 km deep · released about 32 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Salinas Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N San Benito County 24 kmMonterey County 50 kmSanta Clara County 67 kmSanta Cruz County 70 kmMerced County 78 kmStanislaus County 101 kmAlameda County 118 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
2:38 pm PDT on 19 July 2016 ()
Where
29 km (18 mi) east of Salinas, CA · earthquakes near Salinas
Magnitude
M 4.2 (mw)
Depth
5.9 km below the surface
Felt
773 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Measured shaking
intensity IV (ShakeMap)
USGS impact alert
green
Tsunami
USGS flagged this event for tsunami evaluation. Follow tsunami.gov for official messages.
Nearest
San Benito County, 24 km ESE
Nearest mapped fault
San Andreas 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 2464 days ago

This was a light earthquake. It is usually felt clearly nearby and can rattle windows and dishes, but damage is uncommon.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 114 km (71 mi) from the epicentre. In Salinas, 29 km away, the estimate is intensity III (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.

Likely felt in: Hollister 19 km, intensity III · Salinas 29 km, intensity III · Soledad 30 km, intensity III · Prunedale 32 km, intensity III · Gilroy 41 km, intensity III · Greenfield 42 km, intensity III · Watsonville 45 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 32 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 5.2 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 5,200× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 230× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 170× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 4.2 about 32 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 68× more

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 (31 mi) since our catalogue begins in 2016. No other earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded this close in that time.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 21 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 5.9 10 km SE of Tres Pinos, California · 11 km ENE of this epicentre
  2. 5.8 Near Watsonville, California · 44 km NW of this epicentre
  3. 5.8 Near Paicines, California · 8 km ESE of this epicentre
  4. 5.8 The 1979 Coyote Lake, California Earthquake · 49 km NNW of this epicentre
  5. 5.5 7 km SW of Hollister, California · 16 km NW 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 36.6925, -121.3297. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
San Benito County, CA 24 km (15 mi) ESE earthquakes near San Benito County
Monterey County, CA 50 km (31 mi) S earthquakes near Monterey County
Santa Clara County, CA 67 km (42 mi) NNW earthquakes near Santa Clara County
Santa Cruz County, CA 70 km (44 mi) WNW earthquakes near Santa Cruz County
Merced County, CA 78 km (48 mi) NE earthquakes near Merced County
Stanislaus County, CA 101 km (63 mi) NNE earthquakes near Stanislaus 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. 3.4 21 km NE of Soledad, California
  2. 2.1 7 km ENE of Gilroy, California
  3. 1.6 35 km ENE of Greenfield, California
  4. 2.0 9 km S of Tres Pinos, California
  5. 1.6 25 km WSW of Volta, California
  6. 1.7 12 km S of Tres Pinos, California
  7. 2.1 21 km NE of Soledad, California
  8. 1.8 2 km ENE of Aromas, California
  9. 1.7 21 km NE of Soledad, California
  10. 1.8 25 km NNE of King City, California
  11. 2.1 23 km ENE of Soledad, California
  12. 1.6 24 km SE of Tres Pinos, California
  13. 2.1 21 km NE of Soledad, California
  14. 1.8 24 km WSW of Volta, California
  15. 2.2 11 km S of Tres Pinos, California

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.