QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.7ml

Earthquake near Los Banos, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Los Banos in the 24 hours to 9:23 pm PST (05:23 UTC). The last one was M 3.1, 36 km (22 mi) WNW, at 9:18 pm PDT on 21 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 9 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Los Banos

This page: a magnitude 3.7 earthquake was recorded 25 km (16 mi) south-southwest of Los Banos, CA, at 10:16 pm PST on 6 December 2023 (06:16 UTC), 6.5 km deep. 69 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 25 km SSW of Los Banos, CA

90 km (56 mi) ESE of San Jose, CA · 57 km (36 mi) ESE of Gilroy, CA

10:16 pm PST, Dec 6, 2023 · · 6.5 km deep · released about 5.4 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Los Banos Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N San Benito County 29 kmMerced County 44 kmMonterey County 75 kmSanta Clara County 76 kmStanislaus County 79 kmSanta Cruz County 94 kmMadera County 115 kmFresno 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
10:16 pm PST on 6 December 2023 ()
Where
25 km (16 mi) south-southwest of Los Banos, CA · earthquakes near Los Banos
Magnitude
M 3.7 (ml)
Depth
6.5 km below the surface
Felt
69 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Measured shaking
intensity IV (ShakeMap)
Nearest
San Benito County, 29 km SSW
Nearest mapped fault
Ortigalita fault, under 1 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 751 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 76 km (47 mi) from the epicentre. In Los Banos, 25 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: Los Banos 25 km, intensity III · South Dos Palos 31 km, intensity III · Hollister 38 km, intensity II · Gustine 45 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 5.4 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 32,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,400× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,000× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.7 about 5.4 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 11× more

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 33 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 11 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 5.9 10 km SE of Tres Pinos, California · 26 km WSW of this epicentre
  2. 5.8 Near Paicines, California · 32 km SW of this epicentre
  3. 5.5 7 km SW of Hollister, California · 43 km W of this epicentre
  4. 5.5 12 km S of Tres Pinos, California · 35 km WSW of this epicentre
  5. 5.5 3 km ENE of Tres Pinos, California · 29 km W 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 36.8508, -120.9697. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
San Benito County, CA 29 km (18 mi) SSW earthquakes near San Benito County
Merced County, CA 44 km (27 mi) NNE earthquakes near Merced County
Monterey County, CA 75 km (46 mi) SSW earthquakes near Monterey County
Santa Clara County, CA 76 km (47 mi) WNW earthquakes near Santa Clara County
Stanislaus County, CA 79 km (49 mi) N earthquakes near Stanislaus County
Santa Cruz County, CA 94 km (58 mi) WNW earthquakes near Santa Cruz County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.9 12 km S of Tres Pinos, CA
  2. 3.3 11 km S of Tres Pinos, CA
  3. 2.2 12 km S of Tres Pinos, CA
  4. 2.5 11 km S of Tres Pinos, CA
  5. 3.3 12 km S of Tres Pinos, CA
  6. 3.1 12 km S of Tres Pinos, CA
  7. 2.8 12 km S of Tres Pinos, CA
  8. 3.0 11 km S of Tres Pinos, CA
  9. 3.3 12 km S of Tres Pinos, CA
  10. 1.7 20 km WNW of New Idria, CA
  11. 1.7 13 km WNW of Pinnacles, CA
  12. 1.5 16 km SSE of Tres Pinos, CA
  13. 1.6 16 km SE of Tres Pinos, CA
  14. 1.6 31 km NE of Pinnacles, CA
  15. 1.6 32 km NE of Pinnacles, 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.