QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.2md

Earthquake near Salinas, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Salinas in the 24 hours to 8:40 pm PST (04:40 UTC). The last one was M 2.7, 18 km (11 mi) ENE, at 5:38 am PDT on 29 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 3 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Salinas

This page: a magnitude 2.2 earthquake was recorded 41 km (26 mi) east of Salinas, CA, at 10:58 am PDT on 20 July 2024 (17:58 UTC), 13 km deep.

USGS: 14 km SE of Tres Pinos, CA

85 km (53 mi) SE of San Jose, CA · 39 km (24 mi) E of Salinas, CA

10:58 am PDT, Jul 20, 2024 · · 13 km deep · released about 58 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Salinas Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N San Benito County 15 kmMonterey County 54 kmMerced County 68 kmSanta Clara County 71 kmSanta Cruz County 79 kmStanislaus County 95 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
10:58 am PDT on 20 July 2024 ()
Where
41 km (26 mi) east of Salinas, CA · earthquakes near Salinas
Magnitude
M 2.2 (md)
Depth
13 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
San Benito County, 15 km SE
Nearest mapped fault
Tres Pinos fault, 4 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 841 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 13 km (8 mi) from the epicentre. In Salinas, 41 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Ridgemark, Hollister.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 58 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.2 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 260,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 180,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 16× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.2 about 58 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 6,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 19 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 5.9 10 km SE of Tres Pinos, California · 3 km WNW of this epicentre
  2. 5.8 Near Paicines, California · 7 km SW of this epicentre
  3. 5.5 7 km SW of Hollister, California · 25 km WNW of this epicentre
  4. 5.5 12 km S of Tres Pinos, California · 10 km WSW of this epicentre
  5. 5.5 3 km ENE of Tres Pinos, California · 13 km NW 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 36.7175, -121.1938. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
San Benito County, CA 15 km (9 mi) SE earthquakes near San Benito County
Monterey County, CA 54 km (34 mi) SSW earthquakes near Monterey County
Merced County, CA 68 km (42 mi) NE earthquakes near Merced County
Santa Clara County, CA 71 km (44 mi) NW earthquakes near Santa Clara County
Santa Cruz County, CA 79 km (49 mi) WNW earthquakes near Santa Cruz County
Stanislaus County, CA 95 km (59 mi) N earthquakes near Stanislaus 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. 1.8 11 km SW of Ridgemark, CA
  2. 1.8 7 km E of Pinnacles, CA
  3. 2.3 23 km SSE of Pinnacles, CA
  4. 2.9 5 km NNW of Pinnacles, CA
  5. 1.9 16 km SE of Pinnacles, CA
  6. 1.9 5 km of Hollister, CA
  7. 1.8 9 km NNE of Pinnacles, CA
  8. 1.6 12 km SW of Tres Pinos, CA
  9. 1.5 5 km NW of Pinnacles, CA
  10. 1.9 13 km S of Tres Pinos, CA
  11. 2.1 5 km NNW of Pinnacles, CA
  12. 1.8 5 km NNW of Pinnacles, CA
  13. 1.7 20 km SW of South Dos Palos, CA
  14. 1.7 13 km SSW of Tres Pinos, CA
  15. 2.0 10 km ENE of Gilroy, 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.