QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.0ml

Earthquake near Salinas, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Salinas in the 24 hours to 2:34 am PST (10:34 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 3.0 earthquake was recorded 35 km (22 mi) east of Salinas, CA, at 6:56 am PST on 26 January 2025 (14:56 UTC), 4.3 km deep. 10 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 17 km NNW of Pinnacles, CA

87 km (54 mi) SE of San Jose, CA · 33 km (21 mi) E of Salinas, CA

6:56 am PST, Jan 26, 2025 · · 4.3 km deep · released about 1,000 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Salinas Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N San Benito County 17 kmMonterey County 45 kmSanta Clara County 74 kmSanta Cruz County 78 kmMerced County 78 kmStanislaus County 105 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
6:56 am PST on 26 January 2025 ()
Where
35 km (22 mi) east of Salinas, CA · earthquakes near Salinas
Magnitude
M 3.0 (ml)
Depth
4.3 km below the surface
Felt
10 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
San Benito County, 17 km ESE
Nearest mapped fault
San Andreas fault, 3 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 583 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 38 km (24 mi) from the epicentre. In Salinas, 35 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: Soledad 25 km, intensity II · Hollister 26 km, intensity II · Salinas 35 km, intensity II · Greenfield 36 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1,000 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 330,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 15,000× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 10,000× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.0 about 1,000 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 340 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 · 11 km NNE of this epicentre
  2. 5.8 Near Paicines, California · 3 km NNE of this epicentre
  3. 5.5 7 km SW of Hollister, California · 24 km NW of this epicentre
  4. 5.5 12 km S of Tres Pinos, California · 5 km NNW of this epicentre
  5. 5.5 3 km ENE of Tres Pinos, California · 18 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 36.6440, -121.2682. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
San Benito County, CA 17 km (10 mi) ESE earthquakes near San Benito County
Monterey County, CA 45 km (28 mi) S earthquakes near Monterey County
Santa Clara County, CA 74 km (46 mi) NNW earthquakes near Santa Clara County
Santa Cruz County, CA 78 km (48 mi) WNW earthquakes near Santa Cruz County
Merced County, CA 78 km (49 mi) NE earthquakes near Merced County
Stanislaus County, CA 105 km (65 mi) NNE 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. 3.3 12 km S of Tres Pinos, CA
  2. 1.9 12 km S of Tres Pinos, CA
  3. 1.5 9 km N of Hollister, CA
  4. 1.6 13 km SSW of Tres Pinos, CA
  5. 1.8 7 km WSW of Gilroy, CA
  6. 2.1 8 km WSW of Gilroy, CA
  7. 1.7 10 km SSW of Tres Pinos, CA
  8. 1.6 5 km WNW of San Juan Bautista, CA
  9. 2.8 11 km SSW of Tres Pinos, CA
  10. 2.4 10 km SSW of Tres Pinos, CA
  11. 2.2 10 km SSW of Tres Pinos, CA
  12. 3.0 11 km SSW of Tres Pinos, CA
  13. 2.7 11 km SSW of Tres Pinos, CA
  14. 1.7 5 km WNW of San Juan Bautista, CA
  15. 2.5 5 km SSE of Aromas, 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.