California earthquakes

M3.0 earthquake 9 km ENE of Gilroy, California

A magnitude 3.0 earthquake struck 9 km ENE of Gilroy, California on Fri, Nov 22, 1985, 9:38 PM PST (05:38 UTC), 9 km (5 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.3 14 km N of Morgan Hill, California. This one was a foreshock.

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Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude
3.0 (ml), minor
Local time
UTC
1985-11-23 05:38:30 UTC
Depth
8.8 km (5.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
37.049° N, 121.482° 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, 0.3 km in depth
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
30°
Stations used
92

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 172 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 172.

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc59726 (also filed as usp0002n3e). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:39 PM UTC.