QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.1md

Earthquake near San Jose, CA

Yes. A magnitude 2.1 earthquake was recorded 21 km (13 mi) NNE of San Jose, CA, at 12:06 pm PDT on 2 August 2016 (19:06 UTC), 7.8 km deep. 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

This was on 2 August 2016. The latest near San Jose: M 2.6 on 27 September 2026.

USGS: 11 km SE of Sunol, California

24 km (15 mi) N of San Jose, CA · 11 km (7 mi) NE of Milpitas, CA

12:06 pm PDT, Aug 2, 2016 · · 7.8 km deep · released about 41 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near San Jose Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Alameda County 18 kmSanta Clara County 34 kmContra Costa County 47 kmSan Mateo County 51 kmSanta Cruz County 58 kmSan Joaquin County 67 kmStanislaus County 71 kmSolano County 85 kmMerced County 102 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
12:06 pm PDT on 2 August 2016 ()
Where
21 km (13 mi) NNE of San Jose, CA · earthquakes near San Jose
Magnitude
M 2.1 (md)
Depth
7.8 km below the surface
Felt
2 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Alameda County, 18 km NNW
Nearest mapped fault
Calaveras 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 3532 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 San Jose, 21 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.

Likely felt in: Milpitas 13 km, intensity II · East Foothills 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 41 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.1 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 370,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 260,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 23× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.1 about 41 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 16 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.5 Near Morgan Hill, California · 47 km SSE of this epicentre
  2. 6.2 Near San Jose, California · 23 km S of this epicentre
  3. 6.2 The 1984 Morgan Hill, California Earthquake · 25 km SSE of this epicentre
  4. 6.1 Near San Jose, California · 35 km S of this epicentre
  5. 5.8 7 km NNW of Boulder Creek, California · 47 km SW 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 37.5105, -121.8053. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Alameda County, CA 18 km (11 mi) NNW earthquakes near Alameda County
Santa Clara County, CA 34 km (21 mi) SSE earthquakes near Santa Clara County
Contra Costa County, CA 47 km (29 mi) NNW earthquakes near Contra Costa County
San Mateo County, CA 51 km (32 mi) WSW earthquakes near San Mateo County
Santa Cruz County, CA 58 km (36 mi) SSW earthquakes near Santa Cruz County
San Joaquin County, CA 67 km (41 mi) NE earthquakes near San Joaquin County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.7 3 km ENE of Lompico, California
  2. 2.5 16 km E of Seven Trees, California
  3. 2.3 16 km E of Seven Trees, California
  4. 2.1 6 km S of Sunol, California
  5. 2.2 7 km E of Blackhawk, California
  6. 1.5 5 km E of Alameda, California
  7. 1.9 2 km ENE of Diablo, California
  8. 1.7 2 km S of Loyola, California
  9. 1.6 2 km SSW of Loyola, California
  10. 2.4 8 km NNE of East Foothills, California
  11. 1.6 5 km ESE of Piedmont, California
  12. 1.6 1 km NW of Ashland, California
  13. 1.5 10 km N of Livermore, California
  14. 2.2 0 km NE of North Gate, California
  15. 1.7 13 km ENE of East Foothills, 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.