San Diego

Earthquakes near San Diego through history

From 1900 to October 19, 2026, USGS recorded 2 earthquakes of magnitude 6 or more within 100 km of San Diego, or 200 km for magnitude 7 and above. The strongest was a magnitude 7.3 on June 28, 1992 (The 1992 Landers, California Earthquake).

Open the live map

The last 30 days · as of

USGS recorded no earthquake of magnitude 4.5 or more within 100 km of San Diego in the last 30 days.

Live
Open the live map

What the record holds

The deadliest was not the strongest: an estimated magnitude 6.4 on December 25, 1899, for which NOAA records 6 deaths. NOAA’s list of significant earthquakes has 8 here, back to 1852. NOAA records deaths in 3 of the events here, 11 in all. The latest on NOAA’s list is a magnitude 7.2 on April 4, 2010 (The 2010 Sierra El Mayor, B.C., Mexico Earthquake). NOAA’s record here begins on November 29, 1852 with an earthquake. 4 of the 8 significant earthquakes NOAA lists here came before 1927. NOAA lists 3 tsunamis that began within 100 km of San Diego, and 2 from elsewhere that reached it with deaths or a metre of water or more. The highest water NOAA records here was 1.2 m, on May 22, 1960.

The events

  • April 4, 2010Earthquake · M 7.2The 2010 Sierra El Mayor, B.C., Mexico Earthquake · 2 deaths (NOAA)USGS · NOAA NCEI · Wikipedia
  • June 28, 1992Earthquake · M 7.3The 1992 Landers, California Earthquake · 3 deaths (NOAA)USGS · NOAA NCEI · Wikipedia
  • May 22, 1960Tsunami · 1.2 m hereSouthern ChileNOAA NCEI · Wikipedia
  • December 25, 1899Earthquake · M 6.4 (est.)6 deaths (NOAA)NOAA NCEI
  • November 29, 1852Earthquake · M 7.0 (est.)NOAA NCEI

Good to know

  • An event counts for San Diego when it began within 100 km of its centre, or 200 km for an earthquake of magnitude 7 or more. Damage can reach further.
  • USGS counts here start at magnitude 6: the catalogue’s smaller quakes thin out going back, where few instruments listened.
  • NOAA lists significant events only: earthquakes that killed, did about $1 million of damage, reached magnitude 7.5 or intensity X, or raised a tsunami, and eruptions and tsunamis by like measures. Magnitudes before 1900 are its estimates from written accounts.
  • Deaths are NOAA’s total for each event, wherever people died, its tsunami and fires included. A tsunami counts the dead its runup records give for this place: NOAA’s total for a tsunami includes its source quake’s.
  • A tsunami from elsewhere counts where one of its runups killed or rose a metre or more.
  • Counted to October 19, 2026, as is the map. The last 30 days ask USGS again.

How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Earthquakes, live, The world through history

Other places nearby