Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 2.1md
Earthquake near Templeton, CA
USGS: 5 km SW of Templeton, California
70 km (44 mi) NNW of Santa Maria, CA
- When
- 11:21 am PST on 22 December 2016 ()
- Where
- 6 km (4 mi) SW of Templeton, CA · earthquakes near Templeton
- Magnitude
- M 2.1 (md)
- Depth
- 3.7 km below the surface
- Felt
- no reports yet
- Nearest
- San Luis Obispo County, 31 km ESE
- Nearest mapped fault
- Los Osos fault, 22 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 3521 days ago
A magnitude 2.1 earthquake was recorded 6 km (4 mi) SW of Templeton, CA, at 11:21 am PST on 22 December 2016 (19:21 UTC). This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.
Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Atascadero, Paso Robles, Cayucos, Santa Margarita, Morro Bay, Los Osos.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 40 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 5.8 380,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 270,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 24× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 2.1 about 40 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 7 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:
- 6.5 10 km NE of San Simeon, California · 38 km WNW of this epicentre
- 6.0 2004 Parkfield, California Earthquake · 48 km NE of this epicentre
- 5.8 1934 Parkfield, California Earthquake · 38 km NNE of this epicentre
- 5.7 Southwest of Cambria, California · 41 km W of this epicentre
- 5.1 13km N of San Miguel, CA · 40 km N 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 35.5127, -120.7492. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Luis Obispo County, CA | 31 km (19 mi) | ESE | earthquakes near San Luis Obispo County |
| Monterey County, CA | 96 km (59 mi) | NNW | earthquakes near Monterey County |
| Kings County, CA | 105 km (65 mi) | NE | earthquakes near Kings County |
| Santa Barbara County, CA | 126 km (79 mi) | SSE | earthquakes near Santa Barbara 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.
- 1.9 7 km WSW of Templeton, CA
- 1.7 12 km N of San Simeon, California
- 1.6 17 km SE of Shandon, California
- 2.2 11 km S of Cambria, California
- 1.6 6 km NW of Bradley, California
- 2.0 14km NE of San Simeon, CA
- 1.6 6 km NNE of Avila Beach, California
- 1.6 9 km ENE of San Simeon, California
- 1.7 1 km ENE of Los Osos, California
- 1.7 7 km ENE of San Simeon, California
- 1.5 9km WSW of Atascadero, CA
- 1.6 11 km SW of Oak Shores, California
- 2.5 6 km NW of Templeton, California
- 1.6 6 km NNE of Avila Beach, California
- 1.7 0 km WSW of San Simeon, 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
- 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.