QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.6md

Earthquake near Gilroy, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Gilroy in the 24 hours to 10:19 pm PST (06:19 UTC). The last one was M 2.5, 9 km (6 mi) E, at 7:27 pm PST on 1 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 2 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Gilroy

This page: a magnitude 2.6 earthquake was recorded 5 km (3 mi) south-southwest of Gilroy, CA, at 5:25 am PST on 21 January 2025 (13:25 UTC), 2.6 km deep. 56 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 5 km SW of Gilroy, CA

in Gilroy, CA · 42 km (26 mi) SSE of San Jose, CA

5:25 am PST, Jan 21, 2025 · · 2.6 km deep · released about 280 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Gilroy Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Santa Clara County 30 kmSanta Cruz County 37 kmSan Benito County 60 kmAlameda County 81 kmMerced County 81 kmMonterey County 84 kmStanislaus County 85 kmSan Mateo County 85 kmContra Costa County 111 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
5:25 am PST on 21 January 2025 ()
Where
5 km (3 mi) south-southwest of Gilroy, CA · earthquakes near Gilroy
Magnitude
M 2.6 (md)
Depth
2.6 km below the surface
Felt
56 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Santa Clara County, 30 km NNW
Nearest mapped fault
Sargent 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 592 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 24 km (15 mi) from the epicentre. In Gilroy, 5 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: Gilroy 5 km, intensity III · Watsonville 16 km, intensity II · Morgan Hill 19 km, intensity II · Hollister 21 km, intensity II · Prunedale 22 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 280 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 53,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 38,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 3.3× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.6 about 280 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 4,100 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 · 27 km WNW of this epicentre
  2. 6.5 Near Morgan Hill, California · 17 km NNW of this epicentre
  3. 6.2 Near San Jose, California · 42 km NNW of this epicentre
  4. 6.2 The 1984 Morgan Hill, California Earthquake · 39 km N of this epicentre
  5. 6.1 Near San Jose, California · 32 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 36.9623, -121.5932. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Santa Clara County, CA 30 km (19 mi) NNW earthquakes near Santa Clara County
Santa Cruz County, CA 37 km (23 mi) W earthquakes near Santa Cruz County
San Benito County, CA 60 km (37 mi) SE earthquakes near San Benito County
Alameda County, CA 81 km (50 mi) NNW earthquakes near Alameda County
Merced County, CA 81 km (51 mi) ENE earthquakes near Merced County
Monterey County, CA 84 km (52 mi) SSE earthquakes near Monterey County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 9 km NE of Gilroy, CA
  2. 1.7 10 km SSW of Tres Pinos, CA
  3. 1.6 5 km WNW of San Juan Bautista, CA
  4. 2.8 11 km SSW of Tres Pinos, CA
  5. 2.4 10 km SSW of Tres Pinos, CA
  6. 2.2 10 km SSW of Tres Pinos, CA
  7. 3.0 11 km SSW of Tres Pinos, CA
  8. 2.7 11 km SSW of Tres Pinos, CA
  9. 1.7 5 km WNW of San Juan Bautista, CA
  10. 2.5 5 km SSE of Aromas, CA
  11. 2.6 11 km SSW of Tres Pinos, CA
  12. 1.7 12 km SSW of Tres Pinos, CA
  13. 2.6 10 km SSW of Tres Pinos, CA
  14. 3.9 11 km SSW of Tres Pinos, CA
  15. 3.0 11 km SSW of Tres Pinos, 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.