M3.6 Earthquake 2km W of Concord, CA — January 14, 2021
2021-01-14 19:18:10 UTC (2021-01-14) · approx. 11:18 AM UTC-8 local
Felt by 3,784 people across a wide area.
On January 14, 2021 at 19:18 UTC, a magnitude 3.6 shallow crustal earthquake struck 2km W of Concord, CA, at a depth of 15.2 km and coordinates 37.9708°, -122.0407°. The earthquake was reported felt by 3,784 peopleacross a wide area, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 3.3 (light). This earthquake was detected by 199 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 633, making it a moderate-impact event.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 3.6 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 4.2 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 193 m — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
The epicenter is located in California, a region characterized by the San Andreas transform fault system, where the Pacific and North American plates slide past each other at roughly 46 mm per year. The nearest mapped fault system is the San Andreas Fault. View all earthquakes in California.
Learn more: San Andreas Fault · Magnitude scale · Aftershock sequences
ShakeMap — predicted shaking intensity
Modeled ground-motion intensity contoured on the Modified Mercalli scale (MMI). Computed by the USGS from the moment-tensor solution and regional ground-motion prediction equations.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 3,784 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
Earthquake Details
-122.0407°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 3.6 earthquake near Concord, CA?
The magnitude 3.6 earthquake that struck 2km W of Concord, CA on January 14, 2021 at 19:18 UTC had a depth of 15.2 km. It was felt by 3,784 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 3.3 (light). For context, this was a minor earthquake typically detected only by instruments.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 37.9708°, -122.0407°, which is 2km W of Concord, CA. View all earthquakes in California.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 3.6 earthquakes can continue for several days and gradually diminish over time.
Has California had earthquakes this big before?
The largest recorded earthquake in California was the M7.9 Fort Tejon earthquake of January 9, 1857. Today's magnitude 3.6 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
Actions
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: nc73510910). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2021, January 14, 2021). M3.6 Earthquake 2km W of Concord, CA — January 14, 2021. Retrieved January 12, 2025 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/nc73510910/