QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.5md

Earthquake near Morro Bay, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Morro Bay in the 24 hours to 9:26 am PST (17:26 UTC). The last one was M 2.1, 14 km (9 mi) NE, at 6:08 am PDT on 21 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 3 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Morro Bay

This page: a magnitude 1.5 earthquake was recorded 3 km (2 mi) west-southwest of Morro Bay, CA, at 5:11 am PDT on 4 April 2026 (12:11 UTC), 7.2 km deep.

USGS: 3 km WSW of Morro Bay, CA

61 km (38 mi) NW of Santa Maria, CA

5:11 am PDT, Apr 4, 2026 · · 7.2 km deep · released about 5.6 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Morro Bay Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N San Luis Obispo County 39 kmMonterey County 106 kmSanta Barbara County 119 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
5:11 am PDT on 4 April 2026 ()
Where
3 km (2 mi) west-southwest of Morro Bay, CA · earthquakes near Morro Bay
Magnitude
M 1.5 (md)
Depth
7.2 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
San Luis Obispo County, 39 km E
Nearest mapped fault
Los Osos 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 215 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 7 km (4 mi) from the epicentre. In Morro Bay, 3 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: Los Osos 6 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 5.6 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,700,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,900,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 170× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.5 about 5.6 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 4.1 on 2025-11-18 — about 7,900 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 2 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.5 10 km NE of San Simeon, California · 44 km NNW of this epicentre
  2. 5.7 Southwest of Cambria, California · 33 km WNW 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 35.3525, -120.8783. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
San Luis Obispo County, CA 39 km (24 mi) E earthquakes near San Luis Obispo County
Monterey County, CA 106 km (66 mi) NNW earthquakes near Monterey County
Santa Barbara County, CA 119 km (74 mi) SE earthquakes near Santa Barbara County
Kings County, CA 125 km (78 mi) NE earthquakes near Kings County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.7 13 km NE of San Simeon, CA
  2. 1.5 13 km NE of San Simeon, CA
  3. 1.0 7 km SW of Atascadero, CA
  4. 1.3 14 km WSW of Lake Nacimiento, CA
  5. 2.0 15 km ENE of San Simeon, CA
  6. 2.1 8 km SW of Atascadero, CA
  7. 1.4 12 km WNW of Templeton, CA
  8. 2.4 13 km E of Santa Margarita, CA
  9. 2.0 5 km NE of Santa Margarita, CA
  10. 1.1 7 km SW of Atascadero, CA
  11. 1.3 7 km W of Templeton, CA
  12. 1.4 8 km W of Templeton, CA
  13. 1.3 8 km W of Templeton, CA
  14. 1.9 15 km WNW of Templeton, CA
  15. 2.3 13 km W of Lake Nacimiento, 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.