QuakeIndex

Earthquake · automatic estimate, may change

M 2.1md

Earthquake near Paso Robles, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Paso Robles in the 24 hours to 4:41 am PST (12:41 UTC). The last one was M 2.5, 21 km (13 mi) S, at 11:41 pm PDT on 15 August 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 61 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Paso Robles

This page: a magnitude 2.1 earthquake was recorded 15 km (9 mi) east of Paso Robles, CA, at 10:39 pm PDT on 24 May 2025 (05:39 UTC), less than 1 km deep. 19 people have reported feeling it to USGS. The magnitude and location are an automatic first estimate and may change.

USGS: 14 km ESE of Paso Robles, CA

10:39 pm PDT, May 24, 2025 · · -0.4 km deep · released about 51 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Paso Robles Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N San Luis Obispo County 25 kmKings County 82 kmMonterey County 100 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
10:39 pm PDT on 24 May 2025 ()
Where
15 km (9 mi) east of Paso Robles, CA · earthquakes near Paso Robles
Magnitude
M 2.1 (md)
Depth
-0.4 km below the surface
Felt
19 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Nearest
San Luis Obispo County, 25 km SSE
Nearest mapped fault
San Juan fault, 19 km from its surface trace — near is not the same as on
Status
Automatic — a machine’s first estimate, which may change

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 535 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 18 km (11 mi) from the epicentre. In Paso Robles, 15 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: Paso Robles 15 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 4.3 on 2019-12-17 — about 1,600 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 9 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.5 1922 Parkfield, California Earthquake · 29 km ENE of this epicentre
  2. 6.4 1901 Parkfield, California Earthquake · 44 km N of this epicentre
  3. 6.0 2004 Parkfield, California Earthquake · 27 km NNE of this epicentre
  4. 5.8 1934 Parkfield, California Earthquake · 29 km NNW of this epicentre
  5. 5.5 1966 Parkfield, California Earthquake · 29 km NE 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 35.6087, -120.5247. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
San Luis Obispo County, CA 25 km (16 mi) SSE earthquakes near San Luis Obispo County
Kings County, CA 82 km (51 mi) NE earthquakes near Kings County
Monterey County, CA 100 km (62 mi) NW earthquakes near Monterey County
San Benito County, CA 122 km (76 mi) NNW earthquakes near San Benito County
Santa Barbara County, CA 127 km (79 mi) SSE earthquakes near Santa Barbara County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.2 10 km NNW of Cholame, CA
  2. 1.7 22 km NW of Parkfield, CA
  3. 1.9 6 km W of Templeton, CA
  4. 1.6 7 km SW of Atascadero, CA
  5. 2.0 15 km WNW of Lake Nacimiento, CA
  6. 2.3 15 km WNW of Lake Nacimiento, CA
  7. 1.6 18 km NW of Parkfield, CA
  8. 1.5 11 km W of Templeton, CA
  9. 1.7 11 km NW of Parkfield, CA
  10. 1.6 7 km SW of Atascadero, CA
  11. 1.7 16 km NW of Parkfield, CA
  12. 2.3 7 km WSW of Templeton, CA
  13. 1.8 7 km SW of Atascadero, CA
  14. 1.9 6 km W of Atascadero, CA
  15. 1.7 23 km NW of Parkfield, 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.