QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.8ml

Earthquake near Allendale, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Allendale in the 24 hours to 1:36 am PST (09:36 UTC). The last one was M 3.8, 79 km (49 mi) SSW, at 8:30 am PDT on 13 August 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 7,876 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Allendale

This page: a magnitude 2.8 earthquake was recorded 6 km (4 mi) west-northwest of Allendale, CA, at 1:02 am PST on 31 December 2022 (09:02 UTC), 19 km deep. 79 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 6km WNW of Allendale, CA

12 km (7 mi) NNW of Vacaville, CA · 49 km (31 mi) WSW of Sacramento, CA

1:02 am PST, Dec 31, 2022 · · 19 km deep · released about 420 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Solano County 22 kmYolo County 27 kmNapa County 28 kmSacramento County 58 kmContra Costa County 60 kmSutter County 70 kmMarin County 78 kmSonoma County 80 kmColusa County 82 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
1:02 am PST on 31 December 2022 ()
Where
6 km (4 mi) west-northwest of Allendale, CA · earthquakes near Allendale
Magnitude
M 2.8 (ml)
Depth
19 km below the surface
Felt
79 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Solano County, 22 km SSE
Nearest mapped fault
Great Valley thrust fault system, 2 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 1346 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 19 km (12 mi) from the epicentre. In Allendale, 6 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: Vacaville 11 km, intensity II · Dixon 17 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 420 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 36,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 26,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 2.3× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.8 about 420 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 4.1 on 2022-06-02 — about 120 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 2 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.0 The 2014 South Napa, California Earthquake · 37 km SW of this epicentre
  2. 5.4 South of Elmira, California · 20 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 38.4573, -122.0150. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Solano County, CA 22 km (14 mi) SSE earthquakes near Solano County
Yolo County, CA 27 km (17 mi) NNE earthquakes near Yolo County
Napa County, CA 28 km (17 mi) WNW earthquakes near Napa County
Sacramento County, CA 58 km (36 mi) E earthquakes near Sacramento County
Contra Costa County, CA 60 km (37 mi) S earthquakes near Contra Costa County
Sutter County, CA 70 km (43 mi) NNE earthquakes near Sutter County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.9 12 km SE of Middletown, CA
  2. 1.6 14 km NNE of Angwin, CA
  3. 1.6 11 km ENE of Yountville, CA
  4. 1.6 12 km SE of Middletown, CA
  5. 1.6 12 km SE of Middletown, CA
  6. 1.8 12 km SE of Middletown, CA
  7. 2.4 12 km SE of Middletown, CA
  8. 1.6 15 km SE of Hidden Valley Lake, CA
  9. 1.5 12 km SE of Middletown, CA
  10. 2.3 12 km SE of Middletown, CA
  11. 1.5 12 km SE of Middletown, CA
  12. 1.6 12 km SE of Middletown, CA
  13. 1.8 11 km E of Yountville, CA
  14. 2.2 1 km NW of Green Valley, CA
  15. 1.6 7 km WNW of Yountville, 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.