QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.1md

Earthquake near Corralitos, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Corralitos in the 24 hours to 2:24 am PST (10:24 UTC). The last one was M 2.4, 20 km (12 mi) ESE, at 12:04 pm PDT on 22 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Corralitos

This page: a magnitude 2.1 earthquake was recorded 3 km (2 mi) north of Corralitos, CA, at 11:44 am PST on 17 November 2024 (19:44 UTC), 12 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 3 km NNE of Corralitos, CA

11 km (7 mi) NNW of Watsonville, CA · 31 km (19 mi) S of San Jose, CA

11:44 am PST, Nov 17, 2024 · · 12 km deep · released about 51 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Santa Cruz County 18 kmSanta Clara County 25 kmSan Mateo County 67 kmAlameda County 71 kmSan Benito County 78 kmStanislaus County 93 kmMonterey County 97 kmMerced County 98 kmContra Costa County 101 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
11:44 am PST on 17 November 2024 ()
Where
3 km (2 mi) north of Corralitos, CA · earthquakes near Corralitos
Magnitude
M 2.1 (md)
Depth
12 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Santa Cruz County, 18 km W
Nearest mapped fault
San Andreas fault, 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 717 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 Corralitos, 3 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: Watsonville 13 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 51 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.1 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 300,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 210,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 19× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.1 about 51 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 5.1 on 2022-10-25 — about 23,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 31 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.9 The 1989 Loma Prieta, California Earthquake · 7 km WNW of this epicentre
  2. 6.5 Near Morgan Hill, California · 18 km NE of this epicentre
  3. 6.3 22 km S of Davenport, California · 43 km WSW of this epicentre
  4. 6.3 16 km SW of Davenport, California · 49 km WSW of this epicentre
  5. 6.2 Near San Jose, California · 31 km N 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 37.0187, -121.8020. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Santa Cruz County, CA 18 km (11 mi) W earthquakes near Santa Cruz County
Santa Clara County, CA 25 km (15 mi) NNE earthquakes near Santa Clara County
San Mateo County, CA 67 km (42 mi) NW earthquakes near San Mateo County
Alameda County, CA 71 km (44 mi) N earthquakes near Alameda County
San Benito County, CA 78 km (49 mi) SE earthquakes near San Benito County
Stanislaus County, CA 93 km (58 mi) NE earthquakes near Stanislaus 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. 2.3 9 km ESE of Gilroy, CA
  2. 2.3 15 km NNE of Morgan Hill, CA
  3. 2.9 1 km E of Aromas, CA
  4. 1.9 1 km NNE of Aromas, CA
  5. 2.3 2 km ENE of Aromas, CA
  6. 1.6 0 km S of Tres Pinos, CA
  7. 1.9 11 km ESE of Alum Rock, CA
  8. 2.1 9 km E of Milpitas, CA
  9. 2.0 16 km NNE of Morgan Hill, CA
  10. 1.9 2 km SW of Hollister, CA
  11. 1.8 3 km SW of San Juan Bautista, CA
  12. 1.9 2 km WSW of Hollister, CA
  13. 1.5 8 km ENE of Gilroy, CA
  14. 1.8 9 km S of San Juan Bautista, CA
  15. 1.5 10 km of Boulder Creek, 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.