QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.2ml

Earthquake near Salinas, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Salinas in the 24 hours to 4:16 am PST (12:16 UTC). The last one was M 2.7, 18 km (11 mi) ENE, at 5:38 am PDT on 29 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 3 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Salinas

This page: a magnitude 3.2 earthquake was recorded 26 km (16 mi) west-northwest of Salinas, CA, at 2:57 am PDT on 22 September 2021 (09:57 UTC), 8.7 km deep. 500 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 12km W of Moss Landing, CA

57 km (36 mi) S of San Jose, CA · 20 km (12 mi) SW of Watsonville, CA

2:57 am PDT, Sep 22, 2021 · · 8.7 km deep · released about 1,700 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Salinas Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Santa Cruz County 26 kmSanta Clara County 52 kmSan Benito County 77 kmSan Mateo County 81 kmMonterey County 81 kmAlameda County 96 kmMerced County 116 kmStanislaus County 118 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
2:57 am PDT on 22 September 2021 ()
Where
26 km (16 mi) west-northwest of Salinas, CA · earthquakes near Salinas
Magnitude
M 3.2 (ml)
Depth
8.7 km below the surface
Felt
500 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Nearest
Santa Cruz County, 26 km NNW
Nearest mapped fault
East Monterey Bay 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 1805 days ago

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 44 km (27 mi) from the epicentre. In Salinas, 26 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: Watsonville 20 km, intensity II · Capitola 21 km, intensity II · Prunedale 22 km, intensity II · Live Oak 23 km, intensity II · Santa Cruz 23 km, intensity II · Salinas 26 km, intensity II · Scotts Valley 31 km, intensity II · Gilroy 40 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1,700 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.2 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 200,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 8,800× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 6,200× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.2 about 1,700 lb of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 1.8× more

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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.2 on 2021-01-17 — about 35 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 29 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.9 The 1989 Loma Prieta, California Earthquake · 28 km N of this epicentre
  2. 6.5 Near Morgan Hill, California · 44 km NE of this epicentre
  3. 6.3 22 km S of Davenport, California · 26 km W of this epicentre
  4. 6.3 16 km SW of Davenport, California · 41 km WNW of this epicentre
  5. 6.1 Near San Jose, California · 47 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 36.7865, -121.9190. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Santa Cruz County, CA 26 km (16 mi) NNW earthquakes near Santa Cruz County
Santa Clara County, CA 52 km (33 mi) NNE earthquakes near Santa Clara County
San Benito County, CA 77 km (48 mi) ESE earthquakes near San Benito County
San Mateo County, CA 81 km (50 mi) NNW earthquakes near San Mateo County
Monterey County, CA 81 km (50 mi) SE earthquakes near Monterey County
Alameda County, CA 96 km (59 mi) N earthquakes near Alameda County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 3.4 9km SSW of Tres Pinos, CA
  2. 1.5 1km W of San Juan Bautista, CA
  3. 2.8 9km N of San Juan Bautista, CA
  4. 1.7 1km W of San Juan Bautista, CA
  5. 2.8 6km SSE of San Juan Bautista, CA
  6. 2.0 2km W of San Juan Bautista, CA
  7. 2.3 2km WNW of San Juan Bautista, CA
  8. 2.1 2km WNW of San Juan Bautista, CA
  9. 2.1 1km WNW of San Juan Bautista, CA
  10. 1.7 1km W of San Juan Bautista, CA
  11. 3.1 1km W of San Juan Bautista, CA
  12. 2.5 4km NW of Aromas, CA
  13. 1.6 1km WNW of San Juan Bautista, CA
  14. 2.2 1km W of San Juan Bautista, CA
  15. 1.8 1km W of San Juan Bautista, 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.