QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.8md

Earthquake near Antioch, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Antioch in the 24 hours to 2:25 am PST (10:25 UTC). The last one was M 3.0, 14 km (9 mi) S, at 6:47 am PDT on 14 September 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 52 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Antioch

This page: a magnitude 2.8 earthquake was recorded 19 km (12 mi) northeast of Antioch, CA, at 7:04 pm PDT on 18 October 2023 (02:04 UTC), 7.8 km deep. 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 5 km SSW of Isleton, CA

93 km (58 mi) N of San Jose, CA · 21 km (13 mi) NE of Antioch, CA

7:04 pm PDT, Oct 18, 2023 · · 7.8 km deep · released about 450 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Solano County 31 kmContra Costa County 35 kmSan Joaquin County 38 kmSacramento County 45 kmAlameda County 58 kmYolo County 66 kmNapa County 74 kmStanislaus County 83 kmAmador County 93 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
7:04 pm PDT on 18 October 2023 ()
Where
19 km (12 mi) northeast of Antioch, CA · earthquakes near Antioch
Magnitude
M 2.8 (md)
Depth
7.8 km below the surface
Felt
2 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Solano County, 31 km WNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1052 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 25 km (16 mi) from the epicentre. In Antioch, 19 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: Rio Vista 7 km, intensity III · Oakley 15 km, intensity II · Antioch 19 km, intensity II · Brentwood 21 km, intensity II · Discovery Bay 24 km, intensity II · Pittsburg 24 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 450 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 34,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 24,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 2.1× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.8 about 450 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 4.5 on 2019-10-15 — about 330 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 4 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.8 The 1980 Livermore, California Earthquake · 33 km SSW of this epicentre
  2. 5.4 South of Elmira, California · 30 km NW of this epicentre
  3. 5.4 9 km NE of Livermore, California · 42 km S of this epicentre
  4. 5.1 11 km E of Blackhawk, California · 36 km SSW 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 38.1195, -121.6382. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Solano County, CA 31 km (19 mi) WNW earthquakes near Solano County
Contra Costa County, CA 35 km (22 mi) SW earthquakes near Contra Costa County
San Joaquin County, CA 38 km (24 mi) ESE earthquakes near San Joaquin County
Sacramento County, CA 45 km (28 mi) NE earthquakes near Sacramento County
Alameda County, CA 58 km (36 mi) SSW earthquakes near Alameda County
Yolo County, CA 66 km (41 mi) NNW earthquakes near Yolo County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.5 5 km E of Vallejo, CA
  2. 1.7 3 km E of Alamo, CA
  3. 1.7 5 km E of Vallejo, CA
  4. 1.6 2 km N of Livermore, CA
  5. 1.6 6 km ENE of Vallejo, CA
  6. 1.8 10 km ENE of Blackhawk, CA
  7. 1.8 10 km SSW of Brentwood, CA
  8. 1.5 6 km E of Walnut Creek, CA
  9. 1.7 1 km W of Pacheco, CA
  10. 2.0 10 km ESE of Clayton, CA
  11. 1.9 11 km E of Blackhawk, CA
  12. 2.6 3 km SE of Pleasant Hill, CA
  13. 1.9 2 km NW of Alamo, CA
  14. 1.8 2 km SE of Pacheco, CA
  15. 1.5 5 km E of Vallejo, 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.