QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.1md

Earthquake near Sacramento, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Sacramento in the 24 hours to 8:49 pm PST (04:49 UTC). The last one was M 5.6, 173 km (108 mi) WNW, at 8:10 am PDT on 24 June 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 5,311 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Sacramento

This page: a magnitude 2.1 earthquake was recorded 41 km (25 mi) southwest of Sacramento, CA, at 8:27 pm PST on 25 February 2017 (04:27 UTC), 39 km deep.

USGS: 12 km ESE of Elmira, California

41 km (25 mi) SW of Sacramento, CA · 18 km (11 mi) ESE of Vacaville, CA

8:27 pm PST, Feb 25, 2017 · · 39 km deep · released about 51 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Solano County 14 kmSacramento County 42 kmYolo County 44 kmContra Costa County 44 kmNapa County 53 kmSan Joaquin County 60 kmAlameda County 73 kmSutter County 83 kmMarin County 88 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
8:27 pm PST on 25 February 2017 ()
Where
41 km (25 mi) southwest of Sacramento, CA · earthquakes near Sacramento
Magnitude
M 2.1 (md)
Depth
39 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Solano County, 14 km WSW
Nearest mapped fault
Great Valley thrust fault system, 14 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 3536 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Sacramento, 41 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Rio Vista, Dixon, Vacaville, Hartley, Allendale, Fairfield.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 51 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 5.8 300,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 210,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 19× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.1 about 51 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 2 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.0 The 2014 South Napa, California Earthquake · 47 km W of this epicentre
  2. 5.4 South of Elmira, California · 10 km W 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 38.2953, -121.7835. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Solano County, CA 14 km (9 mi) WSW earthquakes near Solano County
Sacramento County, CA 42 km (26 mi) ENE earthquakes near Sacramento County
Yolo County, CA 44 km (27 mi) NNW earthquakes near Yolo County
Contra Costa County, CA 44 km (28 mi) SSW earthquakes near Contra Costa County
Napa County, CA 53 km (33 mi) WNW earthquakes near Napa County
San Joaquin County, CA 60 km (37 mi) SE earthquakes near San Joaquin County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.8 1 km NNW of Pleasant Hill, California
  2. 1.9 0 km NNW of Pleasant Hill, California
  3. 1.8 7 km ENE of Napa, California
  4. 2.2 0 km ESE of North Gate, California
  5. 1.6 2 km SW of American Canyon, California
  6. 1.7 13 km NNW of Moskowite Corner, California
  7. 1.7 3 km W of Byron, California
  8. 1.7 1 km ESE of Pacheco, California
  9. 1.8 4 km ENE of Clayton, California
  10. 1.7 4 km NW of Acalanes Ridge, California
  11. 2.0 4 km SSE of Monument Hills, California
  12. 1.6 1 km E of North Gate, California
  13. 1.8 1 km N of Pleasant Hill, California
  14. 1.7 3 km SE of North Gate, California
  15. 1.5 1 km W of Concord, 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.