Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 2.4md
Earthquake near Pismo Beach, CA
No earthquake was likely felt in Pismo Beach in the 24 hours to 2:28 pm PST (22:28 UTC). The last one was M 1.6, 10 km (7 mi) NW, at 11:05 pm PDT on 7 June 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Pismo Beach
This page: a magnitude 2.4 earthquake was recorded in Pismo Beach, CA, at 11:49 pm PST on 13 November 2019 (07:49 UTC), 2.2 km deep. 121 people have reported feeling it to USGS.
USGS: 1km NNW of Pismo Beach, CA
30 km (19 mi) NW of Santa Maria, CA
- When
- 11:49 pm PST on 13 November 2019 ()
- Where
- in Pismo Beach, CA · earthquakes near Pismo Beach
- Magnitude
- M 2.4 (md)
- Depth
- 2.2 km below the surface
- Felt
- 121 reports · strongest reported intensity III
- Nearest
- San Luis Obispo County, 32 km NE
- Nearest mapped fault
- Los Osos 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 2550 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Pismo Beach, CA
Get a notification in this browser when USGS records an earthquake near Pismo Beach, CA. No account or email needed.
Alerts are on for .
Not a warning. An alert comes after USGS publishes a quake, usually minutes after the shaking. For early warning use ShakeAlert, through your phone's Wireless Emergency Alerts or the MyShake app.
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 21 km (13 mi) from the epicentre. 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: Grover Beach, Arroyo Grande, Oceano, Avila Beach, Callender, San Luis Obispo.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 130 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.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 110,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 80,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 7.2× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 2.4 about 130 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:
- 5.8 Near Los Alamos, California · 45 km SSE of this epicentre
- 5.0 5 km SSW of Nipomo, California · 21 km SE 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 35.1510, -120.6468. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Luis Obispo County, CA | 32 km (20 mi) | NE | earthquakes near San Luis Obispo County |
| Santa Barbara County, CA | 88 km (55 mi) | SE | earthquakes near Santa Barbara County |
| Kings County, CA | 127 km (79 mi) | NE | earthquakes near Kings County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
50 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 2.1 32km WSW of Guadalupe, CA
- 1.9 6km NE of San Luis Obispo, CA
- 2.5 8km W of Templeton, CA
- 1.8 6km W of Santa Margarita, CA
- 1.6 2km NNW of Cayucos, CA
- 2.0 23km NNE of Nipomo, CA
- 1.7 12km NNE of Cayucos, CA
- 1.5 4km E of Avila Beach, CA
- 1.7 6km E of Atascadero, CA
- 1.6 11km W of Templeton, CA
- 1.6 11km W of Templeton, CA
- 1.6 11km W of Templeton, CA
- 1.7 11km NNE of Cayucos, CA
- 2.9 11km NNE of Cayucos, CA
- 2.5 40km SW of Avila Beach, 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
- 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.