California earthquakes

M1.6 earthquake 10 km WSW of Rio Dell, California

A magnitude 1.6 earthquake struck 10 km WSW of Rio Dell, California on Thu, May 2, 1985, 10:49 AM PDT (17:49 UTC), 18 km (11 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M2.1 15 km NW of Shelter Cove, California. This one was a foreshock.

Rio Dell forecastMore in California

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude
1.6 (md), micro
Local time
UTC
1985-05-02 17:49:42 UTC
Depth
18.5 km (11.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
40.481° N, 124.226° 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 0.7 km horizontally, 0.6 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.15
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
149°
Stations used
5

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 46 in the 60 days after this one and 34 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc47762. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:24 PM UTC.