M2.8 earthquake 5 km SSW of Gilroy, California

A magnitude 2.8 earthquake struck 5 km SSW of Gilroy, California on Sat, Feb 17, 1990, 2:28 PM PST (22:28 UTC), 3 km (2 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.4 5 km NNW 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
2.84	Md, duration	Northern California Seismic System	Preferred · Final · ±0.11 · 74 stations
2.6	ML, local (Richter)	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Reviewed

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: 178 in the 60 days after this one and 185 in the 30 days before it.

The first 60 of 178.

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc152936 (also filed as usp00045k6). Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 12:19 PM UTC.