# Earthquake Today California: Live Map and Latest Quakes

Updated 11:27 UTC, 29 Oct 2026. Canonical: https://monitorworld.app/live/earthquakes/california

USGS listed **3 earthquakes** of magnitude 2.5 or more in California in the past 24 hours, 12 in the past 7 days and 60 in the past 30 days. The strongest of the past 30 days was an **M4.8** quake (97 km W of Petrolia, CA) on 29 Sep 2026. In an average year this area has about 357 quakes of M3+ (USGS, 1996-2025); the past 12 months had 289, close to the 30-year average.

## Key numbers

- Earthquakes, past 24 h (M2.5+): **3**
- Past 7 days: **12**
- Past 30 days: **60**
- Strongest, past 30 days: **M4.8** (2026-09-29)

## Latest earthquakes in California (M2.5+)

- [LOW] [M2.7 · 2 km NE of Pacifica, CA](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/nc75459182) (2026-10-29 00:17 UTC, 11h ago, 7 km deep, USGS)
- [LOW] [M2.6 · 12 km SW of Ridgemark, CA](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/nc75459162) (2026-10-28 23:29 UTC, 12h ago, 9 km deep, USGS)
- [LOW] [M4.0 · 10 km N of Lake Pillsbury, CA](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/nc75458907) (2026-10-28 12:01 UTC, 24h ago, 12 km deep, USGS)
- [LOW] [M2.6 · 11 km SE of Ocotillo Wells, CA](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/ci41567984) (2026-10-28 02:41 UTC, 33h ago, 7 km deep, USGS)
- [LOW] [M2.6 · 14 km E of Seven Trees, CA](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/nc75455701) (2026-10-27 19:38 UTC, 40h ago, 7 km deep, USGS)
- [LOW] [M2.5 · 4 km SE of Aromas, CA](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/nc75455061) (2026-10-26 13:10 UTC, 3d ago, 5 km deep, USGS)
- [LOW] [M2.7 · 32 km WSW of Tecopa, CA](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/ci41352007) (2026-10-25 01:35 UTC, 4d ago, 1 km deep, USGS)
- [LOW] [M2.5 · 7 km W of Cobb, CA](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/nc75454321) (2026-10-24 20:39 UTC, 5d ago, 2 km deep, USGS)
- [LOW] [M2.5 · 17 km SW of Toms Place, CA](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/nc75454281) (2026-10-24 18:42 UTC, 5d ago, 0 km deep, USGS)
- [LOW] [M2.9 · 19 km SW of Toms Place, CA](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/nc75454181) (2026-10-24 10:54 UTC, 5d ago, 2 km deep, USGS)
- [LOW] [M3.4 · 70 km W of Ferndale, CA](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/nc75453736) (2026-10-23 05:38 UTC, 6d ago, 10 km deep, USGS)
- [LOW] [M3.0 · 15 km S of Tres Pinos, CA](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/nc75453601) (2026-10-22 21:58 UTC, 7d ago, 6 km deep, USGS)
- [LOW] [M3.2 · 23 km WSW of Gustine, CA](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/nc75453266) (2026-10-22 04:18 UTC, 7d ago, -1 km deep, USGS)
- [LOW] [M3.3 · 14 km SE of Petrolia, CA](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/nc75453186) (2026-10-22 01:43 UTC, 7d ago, 11 km deep, USGS)
- [LOW] [M3.1 · 39 km SSW of Likely, CA](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/nc75452891) (2026-10-21 15:55 UTC, 8d ago, 6 km deep, USGS)

## Strongest earthquakes in California, past 12 months

- [MED] [M5.6 · 11 km N of Redwood Valley, CA](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/nc75382936) (2026-06-24 15:10 UTC, 127d ago, 9 km deep, USGS)
- [MED] [M5.1 · 62 km W of Petrolia, CA](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/nc75370186) (2026-06-03 12:45 UTC, 148d ago, 10 km deep, USGS)
- [LOW] [M4.9 · 20 km NNE of Indio, CA](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/ci41162719) (2026-01-20 01:56 UTC, 282d ago, 3 km deep, USGS)
- [LOW] [M4.9 · 15 km NNW of Susanville, CA](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/nc75288851) (2025-12-31 05:49 UTC, 302d ago, 5 km deep, USGS)
- [LOW] [M4.8 · 97 km W of Petrolia, CA](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/nc75444322) (2026-09-29 11:36 UTC, 30d ago, 10 km deep, USGS)
- [LOW] [M4.8 · 89 km WSW of Crescent City, CA](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/nc75357576) (2026-05-09 04:58 UTC, 173d ago, 26 km deep, USGS)

## Key context

### What is normal in California

Over the 30 years 1996-2025, USGS recorded 10,700 earthquakes of M3 or more in California: about 357 a year, or 30 a month. The past 12 months had 289, close to the 30-year average. Quakes of M6 or more average 0.4 a year here (12 in 30 years), and none happened in the past 12 months.

Busy years usually mean one large quake and its aftershocks: the peak year here was 2019 with 1,356. Counts cover the state of California and its coastal waters, including the offshore Mendocino area. They come from the USGS ComCat catalog, which records small quakes more completely in the US than elsewhere, so compare like with like.

| Magnitude | 30-year total | Average per year | Past 12 months |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| M3+ | 10,700 | 357 | 289 |
| M4+ | 1,235 | 41 | 43 |
| M5+ | 103 | 3.4 | 2 |
| M6+ | 12 | 0.4 | none |

### Largest earthquakes recorded in California

USGS catalog since 1900, M5.5+, inside the same area. Names as listed by USGS.

| Magnitude | Place (USGS) | Date | Depth |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| M7.9 | The 1906 San Francisco, California Earthquake | 1906-04-18 | 12 km |
| M7.5 | The 1952 Kern County, California Earthquake | 1952-07-21 | 6 km |
| M7.4 | 123 km W of Big Lagoon, California | 1922-01-31 | 15 km |
| M7.3 | The 1992 Landers, California Earthquake | 1992-06-28 | 0 km |
| M7.2 | The 1980 Eureka, California Earthquake | 1980-11-08 | 19 km |
| M7.2 | The 1992 Petrolia, California Earthquake | 1992-04-25 | 10 km |
| M7.1 | The 1923 Humboldt County, California Earthquake | 1923-01-22 | 15 km |
| M7.1 | 121 km W of Ferndale, California | 1994-09-01 | 10 km |

### Plates and faults

California sits on the boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate. The Pacific side moves north-west at about 5 cm per year, and that motion is spread over the San Andreas Fault and a whole system of parallel faults, plus thrust faults that build the mountains around Los Angeles.

North of Cape Mendocino the boundary turns into the Cascadia Subduction Zone, and the waters off Humboldt County are among the most active in the state. East of the Sierra Nevada, the Walker Lane and the Eastern California Shear Zone carry part of the plate motion, which is why Ridgecrest had a M7.1 quake in July 2019.

- San Andreas Fault (the 1857 Fort Tejon and 1906 San Francisco quakes)
- Hayward and Calaveras faults (East Bay)
- San Jacinto and Elsinore faults (Inland Empire and San Diego County)
- Thrust faults under Los Angeles (1994 Northridge, M6.7)
- Eastern California Shear Zone (1992 Landers, 2019 Ridgecrest)
- Mendocino Triple Junction (offshore Humboldt County)

### Where the recent quakes were

Of the 60 quakes of the past 30 days, 60 were shallow (less than 70 km deep), 0 intermediate (70-300 km) and 0 deep (more than 300 km). 2 reached M4 or more. The places USGS named most often were Petrolia, CA (12), Toms Place, CA (5), Dana Point, CA (3).

### Official sources and warnings

- [USGS ShakeAlert](https://www.shakealert.org/): the earthquake early warning system for California, Oregon and Washington; it sends alerts through Wireless Emergency Alerts, Android phones and apps.
- [MyShake app (Cal OES and UC Berkeley)](https://myshake.berkeley.edu/): free app that delivers ShakeAlert warnings in California.
- [Southern California Seismic Network (Caltech and USGS)](https://scedc.caltech.edu/): detailed catalog of Southern California quakes.
- [Berkeley Seismology Lab and Northern California Seismic System](https://seismo.berkeley.edu/): Northern California monitoring.

### What to do in an earthquake

If you feel shaking: **Drop, Cover and Hold On** until it stops. Stay away from windows and heavy furniture, and do not run outside during the shaking. On a coast, strong or long shaking is a natural tsunami warning: move to high ground or inland at once, on foot if you can. Then follow your local officials; this page is not a warning service.

In California, use Drop, Cover and Hold On, and turn on emergency alerts on your phone so ShakeAlert warnings reach you. On the coast, move inland or to high ground after strong or long shaking.

## FAQ

### Was there an earthquake in California today?

Yes. USGS listed 3 quakes of M2.5+ in California in the past 24 hours (as of 11:27 UTC); the latest was a M2.7 2 km NE of Pacifica, CA at 00:17 UTC. Smaller quakes may only appear on USGS ShakeAlert.

### How many earthquakes does California have per year?

From 1996 to 2025, USGS recorded about 357 quakes of M3+, about 41 quakes of M4+, about 3.4 quakes of M5+, about 0.4 quakes of M6+ per year in California. Counting all sizes, local networks record far more, because most quakes are too small to feel.

### What was the biggest earthquake in California?

The largest quake in the USGS catalog for this area since 1900 is the M7.9 The 1906 San Francisco, California Earthquake of 18 Apr 1906. The table above lists the largest 8.

### Where can I get official earthquake alerts for California?

[USGS ShakeAlert](https://www.shakealert.org/): the earthquake early warning system for California, Oregon and Washington; it sends alerts through Wireless Emergency Alerts, Android phones and apps. [MyShake app (Cal OES and UC Berkeley)](https://myshake.berkeley.edu/): free app that delivers ShakeAlert warnings in California. [Southern California Seismic Network (Caltech and USGS)](https://scedc.caltech.edu/): detailed catalog of Southern California quakes. [Berkeley Seismology Lab and Northern California Seismic System](https://seismo.berkeley.edu/): Northern California monitoring.

### Is the Big One coming to California?

No one can predict when a large quake will hit. USGS long-term forecasts (UCERF3) put the chance of a M6.7+ quake somewhere in California in the next 30 years at more than 99%, and of a M7.5+ at about 46%. These are probabilities used for building codes and insurance, not predictions of a date.

### Does California have an earthquake early warning?

Yes. USGS ShakeAlert detects quakes as they start and sends warnings through Wireless Emergency Alerts, Android phones and the MyShake app. A warning can give a few seconds to tens of seconds before strong shaking, enough to drop, cover and hold on.

### Can earthquakes be predicted?

No. USGS states that no scientist has ever predicted a major earthquake. Scientists can only estimate the long-term probability of quakes in an area. Early-warning systems such as ShakeAlert detect a quake that has already started and warn seconds before the shaking arrives.

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## Sources

- [USGS Earthquake Hazards Program](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/feed/): real-time GeoJSON feeds, public domain. Credit: U.S. Geological Survey.
- [USGS ComCat (FDSN event web service)](https://earthquake.usgs.gov/fdsnws/event/1/): the USGS earthquake catalog, used for the 30-year counts, history and aftershocks. Public domain. Credit: U.S. Geological Survey.

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- [Earthquakes by region](https://monitorworld.app/live/earthquakes): All regions and every M5.5+ quake page.
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