QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.9md

Earthquake near Hollister, CA

Yes: an earthquake was likely felt in Hollister in the last 24 hours. M 2.6, 21 km (13 mi) WNW of Hollister, at 11:40 am PST on 12 November 2026 (19:40 UTC); the estimated shaking in Hollister was intensity II (weak). Every earthquake near Hollister

This page: a magnitude 2.9 earthquake was recorded 12 km (7 mi) north-northeast of Hollister, CA, at 3:40 am PDT on 28 October 2022 (10:40 UTC), 7.0 km deep. 32 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 12km NNE of Hollister, CA

58 km (36 mi) SE of San Jose, CA · 23 km (15 mi) ESE of Gilroy, CA

3:40 am PDT, Oct 28, 2022 · · 7.0 km deep · released about 720 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N San Benito County 43 kmSanta Clara County 44 kmSanta Cruz County 60 kmMerced County 61 kmStanislaus County 75 kmMonterey County 78 kmAlameda County 94 kmSan Mateo County 106 kmSan Joaquin County 111 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
3:40 am PDT on 28 October 2022 ()
Where
12 km (7 mi) north-northeast of Hollister, CA · earthquakes near Hollister
Magnitude
M 2.9 (md)
Depth
7.0 km below the surface
Felt
32 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Nearest
San Benito County, 43 km SSE
Nearest mapped fault
Quien Sabe 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 1410 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 32 km (20 mi) from the epicentre. In Hollister, 12 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: Hollister 12 km, intensity III · Gilroy 22 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 720 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.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 21,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 15,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 1.3× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.9 about 720 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 2019-10-15 — about 480 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 22 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.9 The 1989 Loma Prieta, California Earthquake · 50 km WNW of this epicentre
  2. 6.5 Near Morgan Hill, California · 33 km NW of this epicentre
  3. 5.9 10 km SE of Tres Pinos, California · 25 km SSE of this epicentre
  4. 5.8 Near Watsonville, California · 32 km W of this epicentre
  5. 5.8 Near Paicines, California · 31 km SSE 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 36.9417, -121.3347. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
San Benito County, CA 43 km (27 mi) SSE earthquakes near San Benito County
Santa Clara County, CA 44 km (28 mi) NW earthquakes near Santa Clara County
Santa Cruz County, CA 60 km (37 mi) W earthquakes near Santa Cruz County
Merced County, CA 61 km (38 mi) ENE earthquakes near Merced County
Stanislaus County, CA 75 km (47 mi) NNE earthquakes near Stanislaus County
Monterey County, CA 78 km (48 mi) S earthquakes near Monterey County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.5 9km NNW of Pinnacles, CA
  2. 2.0 4km ESE of Tres Pinos, CA
  3. 1.8 6km NE of Pinnacles, CA
  4. 1.7 7km ESE of Prunedale, CA
  5. 1.7 2km ENE of Aromas, CA
  6. 1.8 1km W of Tres Pinos, CA
  7. 2.4 9km SSE of San Juan Bautista, CA
  8. 1.5 8km SSE of San Juan Bautista, CA
  9. 1.8 13km NW of Pinnacles, CA
  10. 2.3 4km SE of Tres Pinos, CA
  11. 2.6 10km S of Tres Pinos, CA
  12. 2.7 16km NW of Pinnacles, CA
  13. 2.1 17km NW of Pinnacles, CA
  14. 2.1 8km NW of Pinnacles, CA
  15. 2.1 23km ESE of Tres Pinos, 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.