California earthquakes

M1.5 earthquake 11 km WSW of Chester, California

A magnitude 1.5 earthquake struck 11 km WSW of Chester, California on Wed, Jan 2, 1985, 11:29 AM PST (19:29 UTC), 5 km (3 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.3 8 km NW of Old Station, California. This one was a foreshock.

Chester 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
1.5 (Md, duration), micro
Magnitude from
Northern California Seismic System
Local time
UTC
1985-01-02 19:29:14 UTC
Depth
4.7 km (2.9 mi), shallow
Epicenter
40.280° N, 121.362° 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 1.4 km horizontally, 2.8 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.14
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
201°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
8

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 27 in the 60 days after this one and 17 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 2.312 km NE of Proberta, California · 15247 days ago · 12 km deep · 61 km away
  2. 2.016 km WNW of Paynes Creek, California · 15246 days ago · 18 km deep · 63 km away
  3. 1.67 km SE of Hamilton City, California · 15246 days ago · 5 km deep · 83 km away
  4. 1.615 km E of Cottonwood, California · 15246 days ago · 7 km deep · 64 km away
  5. 1.84 km WSW of Cromberg, California · 15244 days ago · 5 km deep · 73 km away
  6. 3.012 km W of Paynes Creek, California · 15242 days ago · 17 km deep · 60 km away
  7. 1.810 km WNW of Paynes Creek, California · 15242 days ago · 4 km deep · 57 km away
  8. 2.00 km SSW of Twain, California · 15241 days ago · 7 km deep · 38 km away
  9. 1.6Northern California · 15230 days ago · 10 km deep · 61 km away
  10. 2.03 km NNE of Lake Almanor West, California · 15225 days ago · 6 km deep · 14 km away
  11. 1.512 km W of Chester, California · 15213 days ago · 3 km deep · 2 km away
  12. 1.64 km ESE of Palermo, California · 15212 days ago · 9 km deep · 97 km away
  13. 1.83 km NNW of Lake Almanor West, California · 15209 days ago · 3 km deep · 12 km away
  14. 2.225 km S of Nubieber, California · 15207 days ago · 4 km deep · 68 km away
  15. 1.72 km N of Lake Almanor West, California · 15206 days ago · 6 km deep · 14 km away
  16. 3.38 km NW of Old Station, California · 15202 days ago · 9 km deep · 52 km away
  17. 1.816 km ENE of Mineral, California · 15202 days ago · 6 km deep · 16 km away
  18. 1.8Northern California · 15202 days ago · 10 km deep · 52 km away
  19. 2.317 km ENE of Mineral, California · 15202 days ago · 6 km deep · 17 km away
  20. 1.617 km ENE of Mineral, California · 15202 days ago · 8 km deep · 17 km away
  21. 2.316 km ENE of Mineral, California · 15202 days ago · 3 km deep · 16 km away
  22. 1.817 km ENE of Mineral, California · 15202 days ago · 7 km deep · 17 km away
  23. 2.115 km NNE of Shingletown, California · 15199 days ago · 13 km deep · 54 km away
  24. 1.85 km WSW of Bella Vista, California · 15197 days ago · 4 km deep · 87 km away
  25. 2.015 km SW of Lake Almanor West, California · 15196 days ago · 8 km deep · 16 km away
  26. 1.921 km S of Nubieber, California · 15195 days ago · 13 km deep · 71 km away
  27. 1.714 km NNE of Mineral, California · 15189 days ago · 3 km deep · 25 km away

Before

  1. 1.912 km E of Cottonwood, California · 15251 days ago · 18 km deep · 66 km away
  2. 1.92 km WNW of Big Bend, California · 15254 days ago · 16 km deep · 96 km away
  3. 1.69 km WSW of Manton, California · 15255 days ago · 5 km deep · 54 km away
  4. 2.214 km W of Round Mountain, California · 15256 days ago · 23 km deep · 86 km away
  5. 2.01 km NE of Greenhorn, California · 15256 days ago · 8 km deep · 67 km away
  6. 1.812 km SW of Durham, California · 15257 days ago · 18 km deep · 92 km away
  7. 1.913 km E of Cottonwood, California · 15259 days ago · 13 km deep · 65 km away
  8. 1.614 km NNE of Mineral, California · 15261 days ago · 3 km deep · 26 km away
  9. 1.715 km N of Westwood, California · 15261 days ago · -2 km deep · 37 km away
  10. 1.613 km ENE of Millville, California · 15261 days ago · 10 km deep · 67 km away
  11. 2.32 km WSW of La Porte, California · 15263 days ago · 17 km deep · 73 km away
  12. 1.7Northern California · 15267 days ago · 4 km deep · 99 km away
  13. 1.716 km SW of Old Station, California · 15267 days ago · 3 km deep · 36 km away
  14. 2.27 km W of Durham, California · 15268 days ago · 27 km deep · 82 km away
  15. 2.12 km W of Paradise, California · 15273 days ago · 20 km deep · 63 km away
  16. 1.94 km SE of Canyondam, California · 15273 days ago · 2 km deep · 32 km away
  17. 1.52 km SSE of Canyondam, California · 15275 days ago · 0 km deep · 29 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc36243. Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 3:34 PM UTC.