Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 2.9md
Earthquake near Cayucos, CA
No earthquake was likely felt in Cayucos in the 24 hours to 4:51 am PST (12:51 UTC). The last one was M 2.1, 15 km (9 mi) E, at 6:08 am PDT on 21 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 3 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Cayucos
This page: a magnitude 2.9 earthquake was recorded 11 km (7 mi) north-northeast of Cayucos, CA, at 5:50 pm PDT on 12 August 2020 (00:50 UTC), 5.3 km deep. 37 people have reported feeling it to USGS.
USGS: 11km NNE of Cayucos, CA
75 km (46 mi) NNW of Santa Maria, CA
- When
- 5:50 pm PDT on 12 August 2020 ()
- Where
- 11 km (7 mi) north-northeast of Cayucos, CA · earthquakes near Cayucos
- Magnitude
- M 2.9 (md)
- Depth
- 5.3 km below the surface
- Felt
- 37 reports · strongest reported intensity III
- Nearest
- San Luis Obispo County, 38 km ESE
- Nearest mapped fault
- Hosgri fault, 21 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 2206 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Cayucos, CA
Get a notification in this browser when USGS records an earthquake near Cayucos, 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 small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.
At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 29 km (18 mi) from the epicentre. In Cayucos, 11 km away, the estimate is intensity III (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: Cayucos 11 km, intensity III · Atascadero 15 km, intensity II · Paso Robles 17 km, intensity II · Cambria 23 km, intensity II · Los Osos 24 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 570 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.9 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 27,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 19,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 1.7× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 2.9 about 570 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 5 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:
- 6.5 10 km NE of San Simeon, California · 31 km NW of this epicentre
- 5.8 1934 Parkfield, California Earthquake · 38 km NNE of this epicentre
- 5.7 Southwest of Cambria, California · 34 km W of this epicentre
- 5.2 26km NNW of Lake Nacimiento, CA · 49 km NNW of this epicentre
- 5.1 13km N of San Miguel, CA · 40 km NNE 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 35.5275, -120.8288. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Luis Obispo County, CA | 38 km (23 mi) | ESE | earthquakes near San Luis Obispo County |
| Monterey County, CA | 91 km (56 mi) | NNW | earthquakes near Monterey County |
| Kings County, CA | 110 km (68 mi) | NE | earthquakes near Kings County |
| Santa Barbara County, CA | 132 km (82 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
43 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 1.8 8km NNE of Cayucos, CA
- 1.7 7km SSW of Atascadero, CA
- 2.6 13km NNW of San Simeon, CA
- 1.6 12km ENE of Cambria, CA
- 1.9 6km SW of San Luis Obispo, CA
- 1.7 6km E of Atascadero, CA
- 2.7 13km WSW of Parkfield, CA
- 1.7 6km E of Atascadero, CA
- 2.4 10km W of Templeton, CA
- 1.8 10km W of Templeton, CA
- 2.7 10km W of Templeton, CA
- 1.6 8km WSW of Atascadero, CA
- 1.6 13km W of Lake Nacimiento, CA
- 1.8 10km NE of Cayucos, CA
- 2.0 20km N of San Simeon, 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.