California earthquakes

M2.6 earthquake 17 km NW of Parkfield, California

A magnitude 2.6 earthquake struck 17 km NW of Parkfield, California on Sun, May 21, 1978, 9:49 PM PDT (04:49 UTC), 5 km (3 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.6 Central California. This one was a foreshock.

Coalinga forecastMore in California

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
2.6 (Md, duration), micro
Magnitude from
Northern California Seismic System
Local time
UTC
1978-05-22 04:49:46 UTC
Depth
5.0 km (3.1 mi), shallow
Epicenter
36.017° N, 120.569° W
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty
About 0.3 km horizontally, 0.5 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.09
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
95°
Stations used
16

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 87 in the 60 days after this one and 36 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 2.017 km NW of Parkfield, California · 17667 days ago · 5 km deep · 0 km away
  2. 3.514 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 17666 days ago · 3 km deep · 96 km away
  3. 3.114 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 17666 days ago · 3 km deep · 96 km away
  4. 1.614 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 17666 days ago · 3 km deep · 96 km away
  5. 1.914 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 17666 days ago · 3 km deep · 97 km away
  6. 1.614 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 17666 days ago · 3 km deep · 96 km away
  7. 1.714 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 17666 days ago · 3 km deep · 96 km away
  8. 1.914 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 17666 days ago · 3 km deep · 96 km away
  9. 2.314 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 17665 days ago · 3 km deep · 96 km away
  10. 1.813 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 17665 days ago · 3 km deep · 97 km away
  11. 2.214 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 17665 days ago · 4 km deep · 96 km away
  12. 2.013 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 17664 days ago · 4 km deep · 97 km away
  13. 1.614 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 17664 days ago · 3 km deep · 96 km away
  14. 1.814 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 17664 days ago · 3 km deep · 96 km away
  15. 1.713 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 17663 days ago · 4 km deep · 97 km away
  16. 1.614 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 17663 days ago · 3 km deep · 96 km away
  17. 1.826 km NE of Greenfield, California · 17662 days ago · 6 km deep · 67 km away
  18. 2.422 km ENE of Soledad, California · 17662 days ago · 2 km deep · 75 km away
  19. 1.814 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 17662 days ago · 3 km deep · 96 km away
  20. 1.713 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 17661 days ago · 3 km deep · 97 km away
  21. 2.435 km W of Three Rocks, California · 17661 days ago · 3 km deep · 62 km away
  22. 1.514 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 17661 days ago · 3 km deep · 96 km away
  23. 2.8Central California · 17661 days ago · 3 km deep · 97 km away
  24. 2.113 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 17661 days ago · 4 km deep · 97 km away
  25. 1.713 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 17661 days ago · 4 km deep · 97 km away
  26. 2.015 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 17660 days ago · 4 km deep · 95 km away
  27. 1.815 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 17660 days ago · 4 km deep · 95 km away
  28. 1.916 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 17660 days ago · 5 km deep · 94 km away
  29. 2.6Central California · 17660 days ago · 9 km deep · 76 km away
  30. 3.6Central California · 17658 days ago · 9 km deep · 93 km away
  31. 2.221 km NNE of Soledad, California · 17658 days ago · 8 km deep · 85 km away
  32. 1.910 km W of Templeton, California · 17658 days ago · 3 km deep · 56 km away
  33. 2.415 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 17657 days ago · 3 km deep · 95 km away
  34. 1.86 km N of Greenfield, California · 17657 days ago · 3 km deep · 73 km away
  35. 3.114 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 17656 days ago · 3 km deep · 96 km away
  36. 2.314 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 17656 days ago · 4 km deep · 96 km away
  37. 2.214 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 17655 days ago · 4 km deep · 96 km away
  38. 2.316 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 17655 days ago · 5 km deep · 94 km away
  39. 1.924 km NE of Greenfield, California · 17655 days ago · 5 km deep · 68 km away
  40. 2.523 km NE of King City, California · 17655 days ago · 8 km deep · 54 km away
  41. 1.613 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 17654 days ago · 4 km deep · 97 km away
  42. 2.027 km NE of Soledad, California · 17654 days ago · 9 km deep · 76 km away
  43. 2.113 km S of Tres Pinos, California · 17654 days ago · 3 km deep · 98 km away
  44. 2.731 km ENE of San Lucas, California · 17653 days ago · 9 km deep · 30 km away
  45. 1.621 km NW of Parkfield, California · 17653 days ago · 2 km deep · 4 km away
  46. 1.616 km NW of Parkfield, California · 17652 days ago · 4 km deep · 2 km away
  47. 1.814 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 17651 days ago · 3 km deep · 96 km away
  48. 1.622 km NE of San Lucas, California · 17650 days ago · 6 km deep · 41 km away
  49. 1.621 km NE of Soledad, California · 17649 days ago · 9 km deep · 79 km away
  50. 1.912 km S of Tres Pinos, California · 17649 days ago · 3 km deep · 98 km away
  51. 2.124 km ENE of Soledad, California · 17649 days ago · 3 km deep · 70 km away
  52. 1.821 km NE of Soledad, California · 17648 days ago · 7 km deep · 78 km away
  53. 2.423 km NW of Parkfield, California · 17647 days ago · 5 km deep · 6 km away
  54. 2.423 km NW of Parkfield, California · 17647 days ago · 6 km deep · 6 km away
  55. 1.713 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 17647 days ago · 4 km deep · 97 km away
  56. 2.124 km ENE of Greenfield, California · 17646 days ago · 6 km deep · 58 km away
  57. 1.614 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 17644 days ago · 4 km deep · 97 km away
  58. 1.921 km NE of Soledad, California · 17642 days ago · 5 km deep · 83 km away
  59. 2.233 km ENE of Soledad, California · 17642 days ago · 17 km deep · 70 km away
  60. 2.024 km ENE of Greenfield, California · 17641 days ago · 6 km deep · 61 km away

The first 60 of 87.

Before

  1. 2.79 km SW of Coalinga, California · 17667 days ago · 9 km deep · 13 km away
  2. 1.820 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 17668 days ago · 5 km deep · 89 km away
  3. 1.621 km NE of Soledad, California · 17668 days ago · 7 km deep · 80 km away
  4. 1.922 km NNE of Soledad, California · 17669 days ago · 8 km deep · 87 km away
  5. 2.113 km NW of Avenal, California · 17670 days ago · 7 km deep · 33 km away
  6. 1.917 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 17670 days ago · 4 km deep · 93 km away
  7. 2.413 km S of Lake Nacimiento, California · 17676 days ago · 3 km deep · 54 km away
  8. 2.325 km ENE of Greenfield, California · 17676 days ago · 1 km deep · 59 km away
  9. 2.425 km ENE of Greenfield, California · 17679 days ago · 1 km deep · 59 km away
  10. 2.223 km NE of San Ardo, California · 17679 days ago · 8 km deep · 26 km away
  11. 1.822 km ENE of San Ardo, California · 17679 days ago · 2 km deep · 14 km away
  12. 1.925 km ENE of Greenfield, California · 17680 days ago · 1 km deep · 60 km away
  13. 2.125 km ENE of Greenfield, California · 17680 days ago · 1 km deep · 60 km away
  14. 1.725 km ENE of Greenfield, California · 17680 days ago · 5 km deep · 60 km away
  15. 1.627 km NE of San Ardo, California · 17680 days ago · 6 km deep · 27 km away
  16. 2.127 km NE of San Ardo, California · 17680 days ago · 6 km deep · 27 km away
  17. 1.731 km W of Three Rocks, California · 17683 days ago · 8 km deep · 57 km away
  18. 2.218 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 17683 days ago · 10 km deep · 92 km away
  19. 1.724 km ENE of San Lucas, California · 17684 days ago · 5 km deep · 31 km away
  20. 1.523 km ENE of Soledad, California · 17684 days ago · 3 km deep · 71 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1040367. Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 4:28 PM UTC.