QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.3ml

Earthquake near Ridgemark, CA

Yes: an earthquake was likely felt in Ridgemark in the last 24 hours. M 1.6, 11 km (7 mi) S of Ridgemark, at 11:35 pm PST on 11 November 2026 (07:35 UTC); the estimated shaking in Ridgemark was intensity II (weak). Every earthquake near Ridgemark

This page: a magnitude 3.3 earthquake was recorded 4 km (3 mi) west-southwest of Ridgemark, CA, at 12:40 pm PST on 21 December 2025 (20:40 UTC), 7.0 km deep. 40 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 4 km WSW of Ridgemark, CA

67 km (42 mi) SSE of San Jose, CA · 23 km (14 mi) ENE of Salinas, CA

12:40 pm PST, Dec 21, 2025 · · 7.0 km deep · released about 1.3 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Ridgemark Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N San Benito County 35 kmSanta Clara County 54 kmSanta Cruz County 59 kmMonterey County 62 kmMerced County 76 kmStanislaus County 93 kmAlameda County 105 kmSan Mateo County 110 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
12:40 pm PST on 21 December 2025 ()
Where
4 km (3 mi) west-southwest of Ridgemark, CA · earthquakes near Ridgemark
Magnitude
M 3.3 (ml)
Depth
7.0 km below the surface
Felt
40 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Measured shaking
intensity III (ShakeMap)
Nearest
San Benito County, 35 km SE
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 238 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 51 km (32 mi) from the epicentre. In Ridgemark, 4 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: Hollister 7 km, intensity III · Prunedale 23 km, intensity II · Salinas 25 km, intensity II · Gilroy 28 km, intensity II · Watsonville 34 km, intensity II · Soledad 41 km, intensity II · Morgan Hill 44 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1.3 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 130,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 5,800× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 4,100× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.3 about 1.3 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 2.7× more

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 130 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 24 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.5 Near Morgan Hill, California · 41 km NNW of this epicentre
  2. 5.9 10 km SE of Tres Pinos, California · 18 km ESE of this epicentre
  3. 5.8 Near Watsonville, California · 31 km NW of this epicentre
  4. 5.8 Near Paicines, California · 19 km SE of this epicentre
  5. 5.8 The 1979 Coyote Lake, California Earthquake · 36 km NNW 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 36.7903, -121.4080. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
San Benito County, CA 35 km (22 mi) SE earthquakes near San Benito County
Santa Clara County, CA 54 km (34 mi) NNW earthquakes near Santa Clara County
Santa Cruz County, CA 59 km (37 mi) WNW earthquakes near Santa Cruz County
Monterey County, CA 62 km (38 mi) S earthquakes near Monterey County
Merced County, CA 76 km (47 mi) NE earthquakes near Merced County
Stanislaus County, CA 93 km (58 mi) NNE earthquakes near Stanislaus County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.0 8 km ENE of Gilroy, CA
  2. 1.6 2 km WNW of Pinnacles, CA
  3. 1.7 14 km E of Pinnacles, CA
  4. 2.1 14 km S of Tres Pinos, CA
  5. 1.8 10 km NW of Pinnacles, CA
  6. 2.0 2 km ENE of Aromas, CA
  7. 2.4 15 km S of Tres Pinos, CA
  8. 1.7 4 km SE of Pinnacles, CA
  9. 1.7 1 km W of Pinnacles, CA
  10. 1.6 17 km S of Tres Pinos, CA
  11. 2.0 5 km SE of Pinnacles, CA
  12. 1.8 31 km SW of South Dos Palos, CA
  13. 1.6 5 km SSE of Pinnacles, CA
  14. 2.1 10 km SSE of San Juan Bautista, CA
  15. 1.6 4 km WNW of San Juan Bautista, 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.