QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.1md

Earthquake near Santa Rosa, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Santa Rosa in the 24 hours to 12:21 pm PST (20:21 UTC). The last one was M 1.9, 5 km (3 mi) NE, at 2:01 pm PDT on 23 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Santa Rosa

This page: a magnitude 2.1 earthquake was recorded 16 km (10 mi) southeast of Santa Rosa, CA, at 3:23 pm PST on 13 February 2020 (23:23 UTC), 7.8 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 6km WSW of Glen Ellen, CA

11 km (7 mi) NNE of Petaluma, CA · 64 km (40 mi) NNW of San Francisco, CA

3:23 pm PST, Feb 13, 2020 · · 7.8 km deep · released about 37 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Napa County 30 kmMarin County 35 kmSonoma County 36 kmSolano County 57 kmYolo County 71 kmContra Costa County 73 kmSan Francisco County 78 kmLake County 87 kmAlameda County 97 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
3:23 pm PST on 13 February 2020 ()
Where
16 km (10 mi) southeast of Santa Rosa, CA · earthquakes near Santa Rosa
Magnitude
M 2.1 (md)
Depth
7.8 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Napa County, 30 km NE
Nearest mapped fault
Bennett Valley fault, 3 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 2463 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 15 km (9 mi) from the epicentre. In Santa Rosa, 16 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: Agua Caliente 9 km, intensity II · Kenwood 9 km, intensity II · Rohnert Park 10 km, intensity II · Petaluma 12 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 37 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 5.8 410,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 290,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 26× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.1 about 37 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 3 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.0 The 2014 South Napa, California Earthquake · 28 km ESE of this epicentre
  2. 5.3 3 km E of Bloomfield, California · 19 km W of this epicentre
  3. 5.3 Northern California · 21 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 38.3368, -122.5898. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Napa County, CA 30 km (19 mi) NE earthquakes near Napa County
Marin County, CA 35 km (21 mi) SSW earthquakes near Marin County
Sonoma County, CA 36 km (22 mi) NW earthquakes near Sonoma County
Solano County, CA 57 km (36 mi) E earthquakes near Solano County
Yolo County, CA 71 km (44 mi) ENE earthquakes near Yolo County
Contra Costa County, CA 73 km (45 mi) SE earthquakes near Contra Costa County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 3km SW of Anderson Springs, CA
  2. 1.6 3km SW of Anderson Springs, CA
  3. 1.8 3km SW of Anderson Springs, CA
  4. 1.7 2km ESE of The Geysers, CA
  5. 1.6 3km SW of Anderson Springs, CA
  6. 1.8 3km SE of The Geysers, CA
  7. 2.4 3km W of Anderson Springs, CA
  8. 1.5 13km E of Angwin, CA
  9. 1.7 3km SE of The Geysers, CA
  10. 1.6 14km E of Angwin, CA
  11. 1.7 8km S of Calistoga, CA
  12. 2.4 7km S of Calistoga, CA
  13. 1.9 3km E of Penngrove, CA
  14. 1.8 9km NNE of Larkfield-Wikiup, CA
  15. 1.9 4km NNE of Crockett, 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.