California earthquakes

M2.6 earthquake 9 km SE of Sunol, California

A magnitude 2.6 earthquake struck 9 km SE of Sunol, California on Fri, Mar 17, 1978, 11:44 AM PST (19:44 UTC), 2 km (2 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.8 5 km E of East Foothills, California. This one was a foreshock.

Sunol 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
2.6 (md), micro
Local time
UTC
1978-03-17 19:44:26 UTC
Depth
2.4 km (1.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
37.531° N, 121.824° 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 0.1 km horizontally, 0.5 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.12
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
68°
Stations used
69

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 98 in the 60 days after this one and 43 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 1.83 km SW of Loyola, California · 17727 days ago · 5 km deep · 35 km away
  2. 1.81 km N of Pittsburg, California · 17727 days ago · 17 km deep · 57 km away
  3. 2.06 km SE of Tres Pinos, California · 17724 days ago · 10 km deep · 100 km away
  4. 1.92 km NW of Diablo Grande, California · 17723 days ago · 0 km deep · 48 km away
  5. 2.85 km SW of Gilroy, California · 17722 days ago · 4 km deep · 65 km away
  6. 1.816 km E of Seven Trees, California · 17719 days ago · 6 km deep · 31 km away
  7. 1.618 km E of East Foothills, California · 17719 days ago · 5 km deep · 27 km away
  8. 2.54 km SE of Aromas, California · 17719 days ago · 8 km deep · 77 km away
  9. 1.68 km SE of Sunol, California · 17718 days ago · 3 km deep · 1 km away
  10. 2.16 km NNE of Ridgemark, California · 17718 days ago · 6 km deep · 86 km away
  11. 3.04 km SE of Aromas, California · 17718 days ago · 8 km deep · 77 km away
  12. 1.65 km WNW of San Juan Bautista, California · 17718 days ago · 7 km deep · 77 km away
  13. 2.84 km SE of Aromas, California · 17718 days ago · 8 km deep · 77 km away
  14. 2.75 km WNW of San Juan Bautista, California · 17718 days ago · 8 km deep · 78 km away
  15. 2.01 km WNW of Cambrian Park, California · 17717 days ago · 8 km deep · 32 km away
  16. 2.01 km WNW of Cambrian Park, California · 17717 days ago · 8 km deep · 32 km away
  17. 2.54 km ESE of Piedmont, California · 17717 days ago · 9 km deep · 44 km away
  18. 1.62 km S of Fairview, California · 17717 days ago · 6 km deep · 24 km away
  19. 2.12 km ENE of Berkeley, California · 17716 days ago · 9 km deep · 54 km away
  20. 1.92 km ENE of Berkeley, California · 17716 days ago · 9 km deep · 54 km away
  21. 1.56 km E of Hollister, California · 17715 days ago · 5 km deep · 86 km away
  22. 1.57 km NE of Blackhawk, California · 17715 days ago · 12 km deep · 38 km away
  23. 1.610 km NNE of San Juan Bautista, California · 17713 days ago · 0 km deep · 74 km away
  24. 1.85 km ESE of Knightsen, California · 17713 days ago · 0 km deep · 51 km away
  25. 1.8Northern California · 17712 days ago · 5 km deep · 32 km away
  26. 2.71 km NNW of Alamo, California · 17711 days ago · 9 km deep · 42 km away
  27. 2.31 km NNW of Alamo, California · 17711 days ago · 8 km deep · 42 km away
  28. 2.01 km NNW of Alamo, California · 17711 days ago · 10 km deep · 42 km away
  29. 1.69 km ENE of Gilroy, California · 17708 days ago · 8 km deep · 62 km away
  30. 2.79 km SSE of San Juan Bautista, California · 17708 days ago · 6 km deep · 90 km away
  31. 2.86 km ESE of Sunol, California · 17708 days ago · 11 km deep · 5 km away
  32. 2.210 km SE of San Juan Bautista, California · 17707 days ago · 6 km deep · 90 km away
  33. 2.119 km W of Volta, California · 17707 days ago · 0 km deep · 76 km away
  34. 2.29 km NW of Hollister, California · 17707 days ago · 6 km deep · 74 km away
  35. 2.015 km E of Seven Trees, California · 17705 days ago · 3 km deep · 30 km away
  36. 1.51 km SSW of Fairview, California · 17705 days ago · 5 km deep · 25 km away
  37. 1.65 km E of Fremont, California · 17705 days ago · 7 km deep · 9 km away
  38. 2.35 km NNE of Tres Pinos, California · 17702 days ago · 4 km deep · 90 km away
  39. 1.717 km E of East Foothills, California · 17702 days ago · 6 km deep · 27 km away
  40. 3.19 km SSE of San Juan Bautista, California · 17701 days ago · 8 km deep · 90 km away
  41. 2.42 km NW of Concord, California · 17698 days ago · 16 km deep · 55 km away
  42. 1.910 km SE of San Juan Bautista, California · 17698 days ago · 6 km deep · 90 km away
  43. 2.34 km S of San Juan Bautista, California · 17698 days ago · 7 km deep · 85 km away
  44. 2.05 km ENE of Hollister, California · 17696 days ago · 6 km deep · 86 km away
  45. 1.813 km N of Morgan Hill, California · 17695 days ago · 7 km deep · 35 km away
  46. 1.98 km NW of Hollister, California · 17693 days ago · 7 km deep · 76 km away
  47. 2.17 km N of Pittsburg, California · 17691 days ago · 14 km deep · 63 km away
  48. 2.34 km ESE of North Gate, California · 17687 days ago · 12 km deep · 41 km away
  49. 1.63 km SSW of Alamo, California · 17686 days ago · 13 km deep · 38 km away
  50. 2.911 km NNE of Morgan Hill, California · 17681 days ago · 4 km deep · 37 km away
  51. 1.81 km NNE of Tres Pinos, California · 17681 days ago · 8 km deep · 93 km away
  52. 2.619 km SSW of Volta, California · 17680 days ago · 4 km deep · 98 km away
  53. 2.21 km WNW of Alameda, California · 17680 days ago · 8 km deep · 48 km away
  54. 2.55 km ESE of East Foothills, California · 17677 days ago · 0 km deep · 19 km away
  55. 3.45 km ESE of East Foothills, California · 17677 days ago · 1 km deep · 19 km away
  56. 1.55 km E of East Foothills, California · 17677 days ago · 0 km deep · 19 km away
  57. 1.86 km E of East Foothills, California · 17677 days ago · 0 km deep · 19 km away
  58. 2.55 km ESE of East Foothills, California · 17677 days ago · 0 km deep · 19 km away
  59. 2.36 km ESE of East Foothills, California · 17677 days ago · 0 km deep · 19 km away
  60. 2.46 km E of East Foothills, California · 17677 days ago · 3 km deep · 19 km away

The first 60 of 98.

Before

  1. 2.16 km NE of Ridgemark, California · 17730 days ago · 6 km deep · 87 km away
  2. 2.53 km S of Diablo, California · 17732 days ago · 8 km deep · 33 km away
  3. 1.63 km WSW of Dublin, California · 17732 days ago · 6 km deep · 22 km away
  4. 2.321 km NW of Diablo Grande, California · 17732 days ago · 4 km deep · 31 km away
  5. 2.115 km E of Seven Trees, California · 17733 days ago · 6 km deep · 31 km away
  6. 1.83 km ESE of Lexington Hills, California · 17734 days ago · 11 km deep · 43 km away
  7. 2.010 km ESE of Sunol, California · 17734 days ago · 7 km deep · 5 km away
  8. 2.43 km ESE of Lexington Hills, California · 17734 days ago · 12 km deep · 43 km away
  9. 2.21 km SE of Highlands-Baywood Park, California · 17734 days ago · 5 km deep · 45 km away
  10. 2.57 km NE of Interlaken, California · 17735 days ago · 11 km deep · 61 km away
  11. 1.64 km SW of Ridgemark, California · 17735 days ago · 7 km deep · 91 km away
  12. 2.37 km SE of Alum Rock, California · 17736 days ago · 3 km deep · 24 km away
  13. 2.0Northern California · 17738 days ago · 6 km deep · 18 km away
  14. 1.93 km NNE of Dublin, California · 17738 days ago · 8 km deep · 24 km away
  15. 1.74 km NNE of Dublin, California · 17738 days ago · 8 km deep · 24 km away
  16. 1.63 km NNE of Dublin, California · 17740 days ago · 8 km deep · 24 km away
  17. 1.88 km SSE of San Juan Bautista, California · 17740 days ago · 7 km deep · 89 km away
  18. 1.83 km NNE of Dublin, California · 17740 days ago · 8 km deep · 25 km away
  19. 2.16 km S of Sunol, California · 17741 days ago · 8 km deep · 7 km away
  20. 1.59 km ENE of Milpitas, CA · 17743 days ago · 7 km deep · 7 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1039322. Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 11:55 AM UTC.