Earthquake near Saratoga, CA

Yes. A magnitude 2.1 earthquake was recorded 4 km (3 mi) WSW of Saratoga, CA, at 4:28 am PDT on 12 September 2016 (11:28 UTC), 1.6 km deep. 3 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

This was on 12 September 2016. The latest near Saratoga: M 2.5 on 19 September 2026.

USGS: 4 km WSW of Saratoga, California

23 km (14 mi) WSW of San Jose, CA · 9 km (5 mi) SSW of Cupertino, CA

4:28 am PDT, Sep 12, 2016 · 2016-09-12 11:28 UTC · 1.6 km deep · released about 44 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Saratoga 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: 4:28 am PDT on 12 September 2016 (2016-09-12 11:28 UTC)
Where: 4 km (3 mi) WSW of Saratoga, CA · earthquakes near Saratoga
Magnitude: M 2.1 (md)
Depth: 1.6 km below the surface
Felt: 3 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest: Santa Cruz County, 26 km S
Nearest mapped fault: San Andreas fault, under 1 km from its surface trace — near is not the same as on
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS 3531 days ago · we first saw it 3531 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 17 km (11 mi) from the epicentre. In Saratoga, 4 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: Saratoga 4 km, intensity II · Los Gatos 8 km, intensity II · Cupertino 9 km, intensity II · Campbell 11 km, intensity II · Loyola 12 km, intensity II · Sunnyvale 14 km, intensity II · Boulder Creek 14 km, intensity II · Santa Clara 16 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 44 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.

Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 340,000× the energy of this one
Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 240,000× the energy of this one
Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 22× the energy of this one
This earthquake M 2.1 about 44 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 23 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

6.9 The 1989 Loma Prieta, California Earthquake · 28 km SE of this epicentre Oct 18, 1989
6.5 Near Morgan Hill, California · 41 km ESE of this epicentre Jul 1, 1911
6.3 16 km SW of Davenport, California · 43 km SW of this epicentre Oct 22, 1926
6.2 Near San Jose, California · 24 km ENE of this epicentre Aug 3, 1903
6.2 The 1984 Morgan Hill, California Earthquake · 35 km ENE of this epicentre Apr 24, 1984

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
Santa Cruz County, CA	26 km (16 mi)	S	earthquakes near Santa Cruz County
San Mateo County, CA	33 km (21 mi)	NW	earthquakes near San Mateo County
Santa Clara County, CA	33 km (21 mi)	E	earthquakes near Santa Clara County
Alameda County, CA	47 km (29 mi)	NNE	earthquakes near Alameda County
Contra Costa County, CA	76 km (47 mi)	N	earthquakes near Contra Costa County
Stanislaus County, CA	100 km (62 mi)	ENE	earthquakes near Stanislaus County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

1.6 10 km NNE of East Foothills, California 09:07 UTC
1.7 14 km E of Seven Trees, California 05:17 UTC
1.9 14 km E of Seven Trees, California 05:16 UTC
1.5 3 km S of Loyola, California 18:56 UTC
1.6 6 km SE of Sunol, California 06:50 UTC
1.5 2 km SSE of Pleasanton, California 02:02 UTC
2.0 11 km S of Half Moon Bay, California 01:32 UTC
1.7 3 km SSE of Portola Valley, California 00:36 UTC
2.1 3 km SSE of Portola Valley, California 22:32 UTC
1.9 7 km WSW of Gilroy, California 16:18 UTC
2.2 14 km N of Morgan Hill, California 14:33 UTC
2.0 3 km S of Loyola, California 19:34 UTC
1.6 11 km W of Saratoga, California 18:45 UTC
1.7 7 km SSE of Pescadero, California 13:38 UTC
1.6 9 km NNE of East Foothills, California 11:33 UTC

Counted from the QuakeIndex database, which ingests the USGS feed every 30 seconds · as of 10:03 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.