San Jose lies between the San Andreas Fault , the source of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake , and the Calaveras Fault . San Jose is shaken by moderate earthquakes on average one or two times a year . These quakes originate just east of the city on the creeping section of the Calaveras Fault , which is a major source of earthquake activity in Northern California . On April 14 , 1984 , at 1:15 pm local time , a 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck the Calaveras Fault near San Jose 's Mount Hamilton . The most serious earthquake , in 1906 , damaged many buildings in San Jose as described earlier . Earlier significant quakes rocked the city in 1839 , 1851 , 1858 , 1864 , 1865 , 1868 , and 1891 . The Daly City Earthquake of 1957 caused some damage . The Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989 also did some damage to parts of the city . The other faults near San Jose are the Monte Vista Fault and the Hayward Fault Zone
1989 Loma Prieta earthquake
1989 Loma Prieta earthquake
San Jose, California