California earthquakes

M3.3 earthquake 7 km NE of Big Pine, California

A magnitude 3.3 earthquake struck 7 km NE of Big Pine, California on Thu, Dec 19, 1985, 5:24 AM PST (13:24 UTC), 9 km (5 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.7 4 km NW of Round Valley, California. This one was a foreshock.

Big Pine forecast More in California

Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 3.3 (ml), minor
Local time: Thu, Dec 19, 1985, 5:24 AM PST
UTC: 1985-12-19 13:24:38 UTC
Depth: 8.7 km (5.4 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 37.205° N, 118.219° W
Region: California
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 1.1 km horizontally, 0.9 km in depth
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 265°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used: 34

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 111 in the 60 days after this one and 52 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 111.

Before

Earthquakes today California earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc61848 (also filed as ci111057, usp0002p2x). Read Wed, Sep 23, 2026, 1:55 AM UTC.