QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.8md

Earthquake near Cambria, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Cambria in the 24 hours to 6:55 am PST (14:55 UTC). The last one was M 2.3, 18 km (11 mi) NNE, at 5:04 pm PDT on 21 September 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Cambria

This page: a magnitude 1.8 earthquake was recorded 8 km (5 mi) north of Cambria, CA, at 11:49 pm PST on 21 January 2026 (07:49 UTC), 5.6 km deep.

USGS: 8 km N of Cambria, CA

11:49 pm PST, Jan 21, 2026 · · 5.6 km deep · released about 15 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Cambria Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N San Luis Obispo County 64 kmMonterey County 70 kmSan Benito County 108 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
11:49 pm PST on 21 January 2026 ()
Where
8 km (5 mi) north of Cambria, CA · earthquakes near Cambria
Magnitude
M 1.8 (md)
Depth
5.6 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
San Luis Obispo County, 64 km ESE
Nearest mapped fault
Hosgri fault, 8 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 282 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 12 km (7 mi) from the epicentre. In Cambria, 8 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: Cambria 8 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 15 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,000,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 730,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 65× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.8 about 15 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 2021-10-25 — about 19,000 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 10 km NE of San Simeon, California · 7 km N of this epicentre
  2. 6.2 28km NW of Cambria, CA · 24 km WNW of this epicentre
  3. 5.8 1934 Parkfield, California Earthquake · 44 km ENE of this epicentre
  4. 5.7 Southwest of Cambria, California · 18 km SW of this epicentre
  5. 5.2 26km NNW of Lake Nacimiento, CA · 37 km NNE 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 35.6375, -121.0853. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
San Luis Obispo County, CA 64 km (40 mi) ESE earthquakes near San Luis Obispo County
Monterey County, CA 70 km (44 mi) NNW earthquakes near Monterey County
San Benito County, CA 108 km (67 mi) N earthquakes near San Benito County
Kings County, CA 124 km (77 mi) ENE earthquakes near Kings County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.3 15 km NW of San Simeon, CA
  2. 2.5 22 km SSW of King City, CA
  3. 2.3 7 km NE of San Simeon, CA
  4. 1.6 25 km NW of San Simeon, CA
  5. 2.2 10 km W of Atascadero, CA
  6. 1.7 20 km N of San Simeon, CA
  7. 1.6 15 km NW of San Simeon, CA
  8. 1.7 26 km W of San Simeon, CA
  9. 1.9 8 km WSW of San Ardo, CA
  10. 2.2 8 km WSW of San Ardo, CA
  11. 1.5 6 km E of Atascadero, CA
  12. 1.5 16 km WSW of Cambria, CA
  13. 1.7 14 km WSW of Lake Nacimiento, CA
  14. 2.3 14 km W of Lake Nacimiento, CA
  15. 1.9 25 km NW of San Simeon, 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.