QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.8md

Earthquake near Cambria, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Cambria in the 24 hours to 6:56 pm PST (02:56 UTC). The last one was M 2.3, 18 km (11 mi) NNE, at 5:04 pm PDT on 21 September 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Cambria

This page: a magnitude 1.8 earthquake was recorded 29 km (18 mi) west of Cambria, CA, at 11:12 pm PDT on 9 October 2022 (06:12 UTC), 1.9 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 20km WSW of San Simeon, CA

11:12 pm PDT, Oct 9, 2022 · · 1.9 km deep · released about 17 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Cambria Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Monterey County 72 kmSan Luis Obispo County 89 kmSan Benito County 117 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
11:12 pm PDT on 9 October 2022 ()
Where
29 km (18 mi) west of Cambria, CA · earthquakes near Cambria
Magnitude
M 1.8 (md)
Depth
1.9 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Monterey County, 72 km N
Nearest mapped fault
Piedras Blancas blind 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 1493 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 14 km (9 mi) from the epicentre. In Cambria, 29 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 17 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 900,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 640,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 57× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.8 about 17 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.7 on 2021-10-25 — about 17,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 5 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.5 10 km NE of San Simeon, California · 30 km ENE of this epicentre
  2. 6.2 28km NW of Cambria, CA · 16 km NNE of this epicentre
  3. 5.7 Southwest of Cambria, California · 21 km ESE of this epicentre
  4. 5.2 25 km NW of San Simeon, California · 26 km N of this epicentre
  5. 5.2 22 km NW of San Simeon, California · 25 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 35.5952, -121.4008. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Monterey County, CA 72 km (45 mi) N earthquakes near Monterey County
San Luis Obispo County, CA 89 km (55 mi) ESE earthquakes near San Luis Obispo County
San Benito County, CA 117 km (72 mi) NNE earthquakes near San Benito 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.

  1. 1.6 5km W of San Simeon, CA
  2. 1.5 11km NE of San Simeon, CA
  3. 3.1 14km NNW of San Simeon, CA
  4. 1.6 8km NNE of San Simeon, CA
  5. 1.6 8km NNE of San Simeon, CA
  6. 1.7 22km NW of San Simeon, CA
  7. 1.9 8km NNE of San Simeon, CA
  8. 2.4 28km S of Lopez Point, CA
  9. 2.6 23km NW of San Simeon, CA
  10. 1.6 22km NW of San Simeon, CA
  11. 2.5 12km SW of Lake Nacimiento, CA
  12. 1.8 29km ESE of Lopez Point, CA
  13. 1.5 12km NE of San Simeon, CA
  14. 1.6 16km NW of San Simeon, CA
  15. 1.7 13km NNW 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

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.