QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.4md

Earthquake near Soledad, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Soledad in the 24 hours to 2:54 pm PST (22:54 UTC). The last one was M 3.0, 26 km (16 mi) N, at 2:58 pm PDT on 22 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Soledad

This page: a magnitude 2.4 earthquake was recorded 48 km (30 mi) south-southwest of Soledad, CA, at 2:58 am PDT on 16 October 2019 (09:58 UTC), 13 km deep.

USGS: 9km E of Lopez Point, CA

2:58 am PDT, Oct 16, 2019 · · 13 km deep · released about 120 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Monterey County 29 kmSan Benito County 75 kmSan Luis Obispo County 115 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
2:58 am PDT on 16 October 2019 ()
Where
48 km (30 mi) south-southwest of Soledad, CA · earthquakes near Soledad
Magnitude
M 2.4 (md)
Depth
13 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Monterey County, 29 km NNE
Nearest mapped fault
San Gregorio fault, 2 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 2575 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 Soledad, 48 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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 120 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.4 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 130,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 89,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 7.9× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.4 about 120 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:

  1. 6.5 10 km NE of San Simeon, California · 47 km SE of this epicentre
  2. 6.2 28km NW of Cambria, CA · 34 km SSE of this epicentre
  3. 5.2 26km NNW of Lake Nacimiento, CA · 45 km E of this epicentre
  4. 5.2 25 km NW of San Simeon, California · 22 km SSE of this epicentre
  5. 5.2 22 km NW of San Simeon, California · 25 km SSE 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 36.0058, -121.4635. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Monterey County, CA 29 km (18 mi) NNE earthquakes near Monterey County
San Benito County, CA 75 km (47 mi) NNE earthquakes near San Benito County
San Luis Obispo County, CA 115 km (71 mi) SE earthquakes near San Luis Obispo County
Santa Cruz County, CA 122 km (76 mi) NNW earthquakes near Santa Cruz County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.9 13km ESE of Point Sur, CA
  2. 1.6 12km NE of San Simeon, CA
  3. 1.6 23km E of Point Sur, CA
  4. 2.2 31km S of Lopez Point, CA
  5. 2.5 33km S of Lopez Point, CA
  6. 2.7 14km ENE of San Simeon, CA
  7. 1.9 31km S of Lopez Point, CA
  8. 2.3 19km SE of Lopez Point, CA
  9. 2.1 4km SW of San Ardo, CA
  10. 1.6 10km NNW of Lopez Point, CA
  11. 1.8 2km NNW of Lopez Point, CA
  12. 1.7 15km NE of San Simeon, CA
  13. 2.5 16km NNW of Lopez Point, CA
  14. 2.4 18km NNE of San Simeon, CA
  15. 1.7 6km W of San Ardo, CA

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.