California earthquakes

M2.1 earthquake 7 km SSE of Gilroy, California

A magnitude 2.1 earthquake struck 7 km SSE of Gilroy, California on Fri, Jan 20, 1978, 1:49 PM PST (21:49 UTC), 5 km (3 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.0 16 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California. This one was a foreshock.

Gilroy forecastMore in California

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
2.1 (Md, duration), micro
Magnitude from
Northern California Seismic System
Local time
UTC
1978-01-20 21:49:03 UTC
Depth
4.8 km (3.0 mi), shallow
Epicenter
36.945° N, 121.539° W
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty
About 0.3 km horizontally, 0.5 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.15
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
37°
Stations used
54

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 131 in the 60 days after this one and 73 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 1.921 km SW of Diablo Grande, California · 17787 days ago · 7 km deep · 39 km away
  2. 2.03 km W of San Juan Bautista, California · 17787 days ago · 6 km deep · 11 km away
  3. 1.524 km ENE of Soledad, California · 17787 days ago · 3 km deep · 65 km away
  4. 1.74 km N of Union City, California · 17786 days ago · 7 km deep · 88 km away
  5. 2.826 km NE of Soledad, California · 17786 days ago · 9 km deep · 59 km away
  6. 1.626 km NE of Soledad, California · 17786 days ago · 9 km deep · 59 km away
  7. 1.621 km NE of Soledad, California · 17786 days ago · 4 km deep · 58 km away
  8. 1.815 km SW of Soledad, California · 17785 days ago · 13 km deep · 71 km away
  9. 2.225 km SE of Tres Pinos, California · 17785 days ago · 10 km deep · 51 km away
  10. 1.915 km SW of Soledad, California · 17784 days ago · 11 km deep · 71 km away
  11. 1.628 km ENE of Soledad, California · 17784 days ago · 10 km deep · 60 km away
  12. 1.817 km SW of Soledad, California · 17784 days ago · 15 km deep · 73 km away
  13. 1.58 km NE of Gilroy, California · 17784 days ago · 10 km deep · 13 km away
  14. 2.25 km NE of San Juan Bautista, California · 17781 days ago · 4 km deep · 9 km away
  15. 1.74 km SSE of San Juan Bautista, California · 17780 days ago · 5 km deep · 15 km away
  16. 1.618 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 17780 days ago · 7 km deep · 44 km away
  17. 1.89 km ESE of Gilroy, California · 17779 days ago · 5 km deep · 8 km away
  18. 2.49 km ESE of Gilroy, California · 17779 days ago · 6 km deep · 8 km away
  19. 2.321 km NNE of Soledad, California · 17779 days ago · 6 km deep · 50 km away
  20. 1.79 km ESE of Gilroy, California · 17779 days ago · 5 km deep · 8 km away
  21. 2.221 km NE of Soledad, California · 17778 days ago · 5 km deep · 52 km away
  22. 1.526 km NE of Soledad, California · 17778 days ago · 8 km deep · 59 km away
  23. 2.123 km NE of King City, California · 17778 days ago · 7 km deep · 83 km away
  24. 1.615 km SW of Soledad, California · 17778 days ago · 11 km deep · 71 km away
  25. 2.112 km S of Tres Pinos, California · 17777 days ago · 2 km deep · 37 km away
  26. 1.921 km NE of Soledad, California · 17776 days ago · 8 km deep · 57 km away
  27. 1.723 km ENE of Soledad, California · 17776 days ago · 3 km deep · 63 km away
  28. 1.626 km NE of Soledad, California · 17776 days ago · 8 km deep · 59 km away
  29. 1.521 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 17776 days ago · 5 km deep · 46 km away
  30. 1.85 km WSW of Gilroy, California · 17775 days ago · 2 km deep · 8 km away
  31. 1.834 km SSW of South Dos Palos, California · 17774 days ago · 10 km deep · 70 km away
  32. 2.49 km SW of Tres Pinos, California · 17774 days ago · 6 km deep · 28 km away
  33. 1.924 km ENE of Greenfield, California · 17774 days ago · 5 km deep · 73 km away
  34. 2.426 km NE of Greenfield, California · 17773 days ago · 7 km deep · 71 km away
  35. 1.724 km NE of Greenfield, California · 17773 days ago · 0 km deep · 72 km away
  36. 1.825 km NE of Greenfield, California · 17773 days ago · 2 km deep · 72 km away
  37. 2.133 km W of Three Rocks, California · 17772 days ago · 8 km deep · 83 km away
  38. 2.121 km NE of Soledad, California · 17772 days ago · 7 km deep · 57 km away
  39. 2.96 km WSW of Gilroy, California · 17771 days ago · 5 km deep · 9 km away
  40. 2.15 km E of Fremont, California · 17771 days ago · 9 km deep · 75 km away
  41. 2.35 km E of Fremont, California · 17771 days ago · 9 km deep · 75 km away
  42. 1.94 km E of Fremont, California · 17771 days ago · 9 km deep · 76 km away
  43. 1.75 km E of Fremont, California · 17770 days ago · 9 km deep · 75 km away
  44. 1.714 km SW of Soledad, California · 17770 days ago · 12 km deep · 70 km away
  45. 2.311 km E of Blackhawk, California · 17770 days ago · 10 km deep · 99 km away
  46. 3.04 km ESE of Interlaken, California · 17769 days ago · 12 km deep · 13 km away
  47. 1.54 km ESE of Interlaken, California · 17769 days ago · 11 km deep · 13 km away
  48. 2.34 km WNW of San Juan Bautista, California · 17769 days ago · 7 km deep · 11 km away
  49. 2.112 km ESE of Livermore, California · 17769 days ago · 8 km deep · 77 km away
  50. 2.811 km ESE of Livermore, California · 17769 days ago · 8 km deep · 78 km away
  51. 1.611 km ESE of Livermore, California · 17769 days ago · 7 km deep · 77 km away
  52. 2.07 km ENE of Interlaken, California · 17768 days ago · 0 km deep · 11 km away
  53. 1.915 km SW of Soledad, California · 17768 days ago · 9 km deep · 71 km away
  54. 1.920 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 17768 days ago · 5 km deep · 46 km away
  55. 1.811 km SW of Soledad, California · 17768 days ago · 6 km deep · 67 km away
  56. 1.523 km E of Tres Pinos, California · 17768 days ago · 2 km deep · 48 km away
  57. 1.620 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 17767 days ago · 5 km deep · 45 km away
  58. 1.85 km SW of Gilroy, California · 17764 days ago · 3 km deep · 7 km away
  59. 1.612 km N of Morgan Hill, California · 17764 days ago · 3 km deep · 35 km away
  60. 1.629 km ENE of Soledad, California · 17763 days ago · 9 km deep · 62 km away

The first 60 of 131.

Before

  1. 1.824 km NE of Greenfield, California · 17789 days ago · 0 km deep · 72 km away
  2. 2.45 km SW of Gilroy, California · 17791 days ago · 7 km deep · 8 km away
  3. 2.322 km ENE of Tres Pinos, California · 17791 days ago · 5 km deep · 43 km away
  4. 1.915 km S of Tres Pinos, California · 17791 days ago · 10 km deep · 37 km away
  5. 2.422 km NE of Soledad, California · 17792 days ago · 6 km deep · 50 km away
  6. 1.93 km N of Union City, California · 17792 days ago · 5 km deep · 87 km away
  7. 2.05 km SSW of Tres Pinos, California · 17793 days ago · 8 km deep · 28 km away
  8. 1.721 km NNE of Soledad, California · 17793 days ago · 6 km deep · 50 km away
  9. 2.421 km NE of Soledad, California · 17793 days ago · 6 km deep · 51 km away
  10. 3.421 km NNE of Soledad, California · 17793 days ago · 6 km deep · 50 km away
  11. 1.522 km ENE of Soledad, California · 17793 days ago · 1 km deep · 61 km away
  12. 1.62 km SSW of San Juan Bautista, California · 17794 days ago · 4 km deep · 13 km away
  13. 2.722 km ENE of Soledad, California · 17795 days ago · 3 km deep · 59 km away
  14. 1.88 km SSW of Ridgemark, California · 17795 days ago · 6 km deep · 26 km away
  15. 2.12 km SW of Los Altos Hills, California · 17795 days ago · 7 km deep · 72 km away
  16. 2.65 km NE of Amesti, California · 17796 days ago · 12 km deep · 19 km away
  17. 1.621 km NE of Soledad, California · 17797 days ago · 3 km deep · 53 km away
  18. 1.821 km NE of Soledad, California · 17797 days ago · 6 km deep · 58 km away
  19. 1.80 km ESE of Fairview, California · 17798 days ago · 10 km deep · 92 km away
  20. 3.014 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 17798 days ago · 3 km deep · 39 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1038644. Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 7:02 PM UTC.