California earthquakes

M1.6 earthquake 7 km WNW of Kettleman City, California

A magnitude 1.6 earthquake struck 7 km WNW of Kettleman City, California on Fri, Dec 20, 1985, 3:30 AM PST (11:30 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.3 10 km ENE of Coalinga, California. This one was a foreshock.

Kettleman City forecast More in California

Map

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

Open the live map with earthquakes

The earthquake

Magnitude: 1.6 (Md, duration), micro
Magnitude from: Northern California Seismic System
Local time: Fri, Dec 20, 1985, 3:30 AM PST
UTC: 1985-12-20 11:30:26 UTC
Depth: 10.2 km (6.3 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 36.028° N, 120.044° 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, 0.3 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.14
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 221°, poorly surrounded by stations
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: 98 in the 60 days after this one and 63 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 98.

Before

Earthquakes today California earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc61908. Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 3:07 PM UTC.