M3.3 earthquake 2 km ESE of Aromas, California

A magnitude 3.3 earthquake struck 2 km ESE of Aromas, California on Fri, Feb 16, 1990, 2:48 AM PST (10:48 UTC), 8 km (5 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.0 1 km NNE of Aromas, California. This one was a foreshock.

Map

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

Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.

Mag.	Scale	Computed by	Notes
3.3	ML, local (Richter)	Northern California Seismic System	Preferred · Final · 0 stations
3.3	ML, local (Richter)	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Reviewed

The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.

Felt at Prunedale, Salinas and San Jose.

From the USGS event page for nc10090864. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

Reviewed by a seismologist.

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

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 176 in the 60 days after this one and 186 in the 30 days before it.

The first 60 of 176.

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc10090864 (also filed as usp00045gr). Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 8:58 PM UTC.