Earthquakes near Santa Maria, California, 1927–2026
From 1927 to October 19, 2026, USGS recorded 2 earthquakes of magnitude 6 or more within 100 km of Santa Maria, California, or 200 km for magnitude 7 and above. The strongest was a magnitude 7.5 on July 21, 1952 (The 1952 Kern County, California Earthquake).
The last 30 days · as of
USGS recorded no earthquake of magnitude 4.5 or more within 100 km of Santa Maria, California in the last 30 days.
What the record holds
It was also the deadliest: NOAA records 12 deaths for it. 4 earthquakes here in these years are on NOAA’s list of significant earthquakes. NOAA records deaths in 2 of the events here, 13 in all. The latest on NOAA’s list is a magnitude 6 on September 28, 2004 (Central: Parkfield, San Miguel). NOAA lists one tsunami that began within 100 km of Santa Maria, California, and 7 from elsewhere that reached it with deaths or a metre of water or more. The highest water NOAA records here was 2.02 m, on March 11, 2011. The deadliest here came on May 22, 1960 from a magnitude 9.5 earthquake (Southern Chile): NOAA’s runup records count one death within 100 km of Santa Maria, California.
The events
- March 11, 2011Tsunami · 2.02 m hereHonshu IslandNOAA NCEI · Wikipedia
- September 28, 2004Earthquake · M 6.0Central: Parkfield, San MiguelNOAA NCEI
- May 22, 1960Tsunami · 1.37 m hereSouthern Chile · one death here (NOAA)NOAA NCEI · Wikipedia
- July 21, 1952Earthquake · M 7.5The 1952 Kern County, California Earthquake · 12 deaths (NOAA)USGS · NOAA NCEI · Wikipedia
- November 4, 1927Earthquake · M 6.9The 1927 Lompoc, California EarthquakeUSGS · NOAA NCEI
Good to know
- An event counts for Santa Maria, California 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
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