QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.5md

Earthquake near Carmel Valley Village, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Carmel Valley Village in the 24 hours to 3:19 pm PST (23:19 UTC). The last one was M 3.9, 53 km (33 mi) E, at 3:19 am PDT on 11 August 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 34 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Carmel Valley Village

This page: a magnitude 2.5 earthquake was recorded 46 km (29 mi) south of Carmel Valley Village, CA, at 1:37 am PST on 15 January 2023 (09:37 UTC), 18 km deep. 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 16km WNW of Lopez Point, CA

1:37 am PST, Jan 15, 2023 · · 18 km deep · released about 140 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Carmel Valley Village Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Monterey County 40 kmSan Benito County 82 kmSanta Cruz County 106 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
1:37 am PST on 15 January 2023 ()
Where
46 km (29 mi) south of Carmel Valley Village, CA · earthquakes near Carmel Valley Village
Magnitude
M 2.5 (md)
Depth
18 km below the surface
Felt
2 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Monterey County, 40 km ENE
Nearest mapped fault
San Gregorio fault, 5 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 1171 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 12 km (7 mi) from the epicentre. In Carmel Valley Village, 46 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 140 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 110,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 75,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 6.7× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.5 about 140 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:

  1. 5.2 25 km NW of San Simeon, California · 44 km SE of this epicentre
  2. 5.2 22 km NW of San Simeon, California · 47 km SE of this epicentre
  3. 5.1 8 km E of Carmel Valley Village, California · 46 km N of this epicentre
  4. 5.1 3 km W of Soledad, California · 50 km NE of this epicentre
  5. 5.1 14 km NW of Big Sur, California · 35 km NNW 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 36.0907, -121.7260. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Monterey County, CA 40 km (25 mi) ENE earthquakes near Monterey County
San Benito County, CA 82 km (51 mi) NE earthquakes near San Benito County
Santa Cruz County, CA 106 km (66 mi) NNW earthquakes near Santa Cruz County
San Luis Obispo County, CA 139 km (87 mi) SE earthquakes near San Luis Obispo County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 30 km S of Lopez Point, CA
  2. 1.5 20 km SSE of Lopez Point, CA
  3. 1.7 20 km SSE of Lopez Point, CA
  4. 1.6 23 km NW of San Simeon, CA
  5. 1.5 17 km SSE of Lopez Point, CA
  6. 1.6 22 km NNW of San Simeon, CA
  7. 1.7 27 km S of Lopez Point, CA
  8. 2.0 2 km E of Lopez Point, CA
  9. 1.6 11 km SW of Soledad, CA
  10. 2.4 11 km SW of Soledad, CA
  11. 2.3 21 km NW of San Simeon, CA
  12. 1.5 20 km SSE of Lopez Point, CA
  13. 1.9 23 km NW of San Simeon, CA
  14. 1.9 24 km NW of San Simeon, CA
  15. 1.8 20 km SSE of Lopez Point, 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.