The map shows quakes of M1.5 and up from the last 90 days, the 8 biggest on record, and always the very latest quake — even if it was smaller than M1.5. The list below can include smaller ones the map leaves out. Tap any dot for details.
In the last 30 days, 23 earthquakes of M1.5 or bigger were recorded within 100 km of Chico, the biggest of them M4.0. Over the past year, M3.0+ quakes near Chico came at 1.9× the usual pace — busier than normal for this area. The biggest quake on record near Chico — records go back to 1980 — was the M5.7 of May 24, 2013, 03:47 UTC: 2 km NNE of Canyondam, California.
How we figure this: 8 quakes of M3.0 or bigger within 100 km in the last 12 months (Nov 03, 2025 – Nov 03, 2026), compared with an average of 4.2 a year across the full calendar years 2016–2025, counted the same way. This compares how often quakes happened in two past periods. It is not a forecast, and it does not mean a big earthquake is on its way — nobody can predict earthquakes.
Does a busier spell mean a bigger earthquake is coming?
Short answer: nobody can tell — and a busier spell by itself is not a warning sign. Bunches of small quakes are common around Chico, and most settle down on their own. Small quakes also do not “let off steam” that would prevent a big one: a single M7 releases roughly as much energy as 32,000 M4 quakes added together. Earthquakes cannot be predicted. What can be measured is the long-term pattern — the biggest quakes on record near Chico are listed further down this page.
Latest earthquakes near Chico
| Mag | Location | Local time | Depth | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M2.1 | 13 km SE of Millville, CA | Nov 01, 2026, 08:46 AM | 20 km | 85 km NNW |
| M1.6 | 11 km N of Lake Pillsbury, CA | Oct 30, 2026, 02:18 PM | 7 km | 98 km WSW |
| M1.6 | 12 km NE of Lake Pillsbury, CA | Oct 30, 2026, 06:07 AM | 7 km | 92 km WSW |
| M2.4 | 10 km N of Lake Pillsbury, CA | Oct 30, 2026, 05:34 AM | 10 km | 99 km WSW |
| M2.1 | 3 km S of East Shore, CA | Oct 29, 2026, 08:09 AM | 1 km | 84 km NE |
| M1.7 | 13 km SW of Chester, CA | Oct 29, 2026, 03:15 AM | 0 km | 70 km NE |
| M1.8 | 10 km N of Lake Pillsbury, CA | Oct 28, 2026, 09:13 AM | 11 km | 99 km WSW |
| M1.7 | 11 km N of Lake Pillsbury, CA | Oct 28, 2026, 05:49 AM | 11 km | 98 km WSW |
| M2.2 | 9 km N of Lake Pillsbury, CA | Oct 28, 2026, 05:12 AM | 9 km | 99 km WSW |
| M4.0 | 10 km N of Lake Pillsbury, CA | Oct 28, 2026, 05:01 AM | 12 km | 99 km WSW |
Earthquakes per year near Chico (M3.0 and up, within 100 km)
M3.0–3.9 M4.0+
Each bar is one year; taller means more quakes (M3.0 and up). The dark red part is the bigger ones (M4.0+), counted inside the number above each bar — not added on top. These may be felt, depending on how far away and how deep they are. 2026 is not a full year yet — it only counts up to today. Source: USGS Earthquake Catalog.
What the last year looked like near Chico
Every quake of M1.5 or bigger within 100 km over the last year — 252 in total. A quake of exactly M2.0 counts in the M2.0–3.0 group.
The 8 biggest earthquakes on record near Chico (M4.0 and up, since 1980)
| Mag | Location | Date (UTC) | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| M5.7 | 2 km NNE of Canyondam, California | May 24, 2013, 03:47 UTC | 84 km |
| M5.5 | Lake Almanor Earthquake | May 11, 2023, 23:19 UTC | 82 km |
| M5.2 | 4km NW of Canyondam, CA | May 12, 2023, 10:18 UTC | 82 km |
| M5.1 | 20 km NNE of Upper Lake, California | Aug 10, 2016, 02:57 UTC | 94 km |
| M4.9 | 1km NNW of Canyondam, CA | May 24, 2013, 08:02 UTC | 82 km |
| M4.7 | 31 km NW of Rancho Tehama Reserve, California | Jan 19, 2008, 23:13 UTC | 89 km |
| M4.5 | 3 km NE of East Quincy, California | Dec 26, 2008, 12:19 UTC | 87 km |
| M4.5 | 34 km WNW of Rancho Tehama Reserve, California | Jan 19, 2008, 17:18 UTC | 92 km |
Nearby places
Hamilton City, CA (15 km) · Paradise, CA (19 km) · Forest Ranch, CA (22 km) · Oroville, CA (34 km) · Magalia, CA (24 km) · Oroville East, CA (39 km)
USGS data fetched Nov 03, 2026, 22:45 UTC · page built Nov 03, 2026, 22:45 UTC. How to read this page: recent-window counts cover M1.5+ events within 100 km; the 10-year layer is based on M3.0+ and the history layer on M4.0+ since 1980. Recording completeness varies by era and region — small quakes from early decades are under-recorded, so “no record” does not prove “never happened”. Depths are relative to sea level and can be slightly negative for shallow events in elevated terrain. Method: data & methodology.