Earthquake near Benicia, CA

Yes. A magnitude 2.7 earthquake was recorded 3 km (2 mi) NNW of Benicia, CA, at 5:53 am PDT on 30 July 2016 (12:53 UTC), 9.4 km deep. 98 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

This was on 30 July 2016. The latest near Benicia: M 3.1 on 12 September 2026.

USGS: 3 km NNW of Benicia, California

9 km (5 mi) ESE of Vallejo, CA · 40 km (25 mi) NNE of San Francisco, CA

5:53 am PDT, Jul 30, 2016 · 2016-07-30 12:53 UTC · 9.4 km deep · released about 320 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Benicia Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area

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: 5:53 am PDT on 30 July 2016 (2016-07-30 12:53 UTC)
Where: 3 km (2 mi) NNW of Benicia, CA · earthquakes near Benicia
Magnitude: M 2.7 (md)
Depth: 9.4 km below the surface
Felt: 98 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest: Contra Costa County, 26 km SE
Nearest mapped fault: Green Valley fault, 7 km from its surface trace — near is not the same as on
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS 1816 days ago · we first saw it 1816 days ago

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 23 km (14 mi) from the epicentre. In Benicia, 3 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: Benicia 3 km, intensity III · Crockett 5 km, intensity III · Martinez 7 km, intensity III · Vallejo 8 km, intensity III · Hercules 12 km, intensity II · American Canyon 13 km, intensity II · Pacheco 13 km, intensity II · Pinole 14 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 320 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 48,000× the energy of this one
Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 34,000× the energy of this one
Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 3× the energy of this one
This earthquake M 2.7 about 320 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 5 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

7.9 The 1906 San Francisco, California Earthquake · 49 km SW of this epicentre Apr 18, 1906
6.0 The 2014 South Napa, California Earthquake · 20 km NW of this epicentre Aug 24, 2014
5.8 The 1980 Livermore, California Earthquake · 44 km SE of this epicentre Jan 24, 1980
5.4 South of Elmira, California · 34 km NE of this epicentre May 19, 1902
5.1 11 km E of Blackhawk, California · 46 km SE of this epicentre Jan 24, 1980

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

Map loads when it scrolls into view

Nearby places

Place	Distance	Direction from the epicentre
Contra Costa County, CA	26 km (16 mi)	SE	earthquakes near Contra Costa County
Solano County, CA	29 km (18 mi)	NE	earthquakes near Solano County
Napa County, CA	50 km (31 mi)	NNW	earthquakes near Napa County
Marin County, CA	51 km (31 mi)	W	earthquakes near Marin County
Alameda County, CA	53 km (33 mi)	SSE	earthquakes near Alameda County
Yolo County, CA	71 km (44 mi)	NNE	earthquakes near Yolo County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

2.0 3 km W of Orinda, California 01:26 UTC
2.7 6 km SSW of Yountville, California 06:08 UTC
1.8 5 km ENE of Chinatown, California 18:22 UTC
1.7 5 km WSW of Moskowite Corner, California 05:39 UTC
1.5 2 km N of Piedmont, California 19:34 UTC
2.2 7 km E of Blackhawk, California 04:34 UTC
1.6 1 km ESE of Pacheco, California 05:54 UTC
1.5 5 km E of Alameda, California 01:54 UTC
1.5 5 km ENE of Chinatown, California 18:56 UTC
1.9 2 km ENE of Diablo, California 09:08 UTC
1.6 5 km ESE of Piedmont, California 14:30 UTC
1.6 1 km NW of Ashland, California 22:58 UTC
1.5 10 km N of Livermore, California 16:39 UTC
1.6 1 km N of Pacheco, California 10:02 UTC
2.2 0 km NE of North Gate, California 14:23 UTC

Counted from the QuakeIndex database, which ingests the USGS feed every 30 seconds · as of 10:02 UTC. 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.