Magnitude 4.4 earthquake strikes near Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo County, California, USA

A very shallow magnitude 4.4 earthquake was reported in the morning near Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo County, California, USA.
According to the United States Geological Survey, the quake hit on Tuesday, November 18th, 2025, at 9:54 am local time at a very shallow depth of 5.6 miles. Shallow earthquakes are felt more strongly than deeper ones as they are closer to the surface. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report.
Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake was probably felt by many people in the area of the epicenter. It should not have caused significant damage, other than objects falling from shelves, broken windows, etc.
In Paso Robles (pop. 27,200) located 3 miles from the epicenter, and Templeton (pop. 7,700) 8 miles away, the quake should have been felt as light shaking.
Weak shaking might have been felt in Atascadero (pop. 29,800) located 12 miles from the epicenter, and San Luis Obispo (pop. 47,300) 27 miles away.
Other towns or cities near the epicenter where the quake might have been felt as very weak shaking include Coalinga (pop. 16,600) located 38 miles from the epicenter, Arroyo Grande (pop. 18,100) 38 miles away, Nipomo (pop. 16,700) 45 miles away, and Santa Maria (pop. 105,100) 52 miles away.
VolcanoDiscovery will automatically update magnitude and depth if these change and follow up if other significant news about the quake become available. If you’re in the area, please send us your experience through our reporting mechanism, either online or via our mobile app. This will help us provide more first-hand updates to anyone around the globe who wants to know more about this quake.


Earthquake data:
Date & time: Nov 18, 2025 09:54 am (Los Angeles time) local time (18 Nov 2025 17:54 GMT)
Magnitude: 4.4
Depth: 9.00 km
Epicenter latitude / longitude: 35.66°N / 120.71°W (San Luis Obispo County, California, United States)
Primary data source: USGS
https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/earthquake/news/287222/Magnitude-44-earthquake-strikes-near-Paso-Robles-San-Luis-Obispo-County-California-USA.html