Earthquake · automatic estimate, may change
M 2.4md
Earthquake near Santa Margarita, CA
No earthquake was likely felt in Santa Margarita in the 24 hours to 2:59 am PST (10:59 UTC). The last one was M 2.1, 12 km (7 mi) WNW, at 6:08 am PDT on 21 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 3 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Santa Margarita
This page: a magnitude 2.4 earthquake was recorded 13 km (8 mi) east of Santa Margarita, CA, at 9:48 am PDT on 7 October 2026 (16:48 UTC), 7.7 km deep. The magnitude and location are an automatic first estimate and may change.
USGS: 13 km E of Santa Margarita, CA
50 km (31 mi) N of Santa Maria, CA · 130 km (81 mi) W of Bakersfield, CA
- When
- 9:48 am PDT on 7 October 2026 ()
- Where
- 13 km (8 mi) east of Santa Margarita, CA · earthquakes near Santa Margarita
- Magnitude
- M 2.4 (md)
- Depth
- 7.7 km below the surface
- Felt
- no reports yet
- Nearest
- San Luis Obispo County, 2 km E
- Nearest mapped fault
- San Juan fault, 24 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 36 days ago
Earthquake alerts for Santa Margarita, CA
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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 20 km (12 mi) from the epicentre. In Santa Margarita, 13 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.
Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: San Luis Obispo, Atascadero, Templeton.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 130 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.4 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 120,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 83,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 7.4× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 2.4 about 130 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 640 times the energy of this one.
Before 2016, the USGS record lists 6 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:
- 6.5 1922 Parkfield, California Earthquake · 45 km NNE of this epicentre
- 6.0 2004 Parkfield, California Earthquake · 49 km N of this epicentre
- 5.5 1966 Parkfield, California Earthquake · 48 km NNE of this epicentre
- 5.0 11 km NNE of Shandon, California · 42 km NNE of this epicentre
- 5.0 11 km NNE of Shandon, California · 42 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 35.3860, -120.4668. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Luis Obispo County, CA | 2 km (1 mi) | E | earthquakes near San Luis Obispo County |
| Kings County, CA | 96 km (60 mi) | NE | earthquakes near Kings County |
| Santa Barbara County, CA | 102 km (64 mi) | SSE | earthquakes near Santa Barbara County |
| Monterey County, CA | 122 km (76 mi) | NW | earthquakes near Monterey County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
4 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 1.2 15 km SW of Parkfield, CA
- 1.0 7 km SW of Atascadero, CA
- 2.1 8 km SW of Atascadero, CA
- 1.4 12 km WNW of Templeton, 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
- The official USGS event page — the source of record for every value above
- Did you feel it? Report it to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us
- ShakeMap for this event, when USGS has produced one
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.