California earthquakes

M5.1 earthquake 4 km NNW of Round Valley, California

A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck 4 km NNW of Round Valley, California on Mon, Mar 25, 1985, 8:05 AM PST (16:05 UTC), 6 km (4 mi) below the surface.

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Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 5.1 (ML, local (Richter)), moderate
Magnitude from: Northern California Seismic System
Local time: Mon, Mar 25, 1985, 8:05 AM PST
UTC: 1985-03-25 16:05:12 UTC
Depth: 5.8 km (3.6 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 37.453° N, 118.612° W
Region: California
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Magnitude estimates

Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.

Mag.	Scale	Computed by	Notes
5.1	ML, local (Richter)	Northern California Seismic System	Preferred · Final · 0 stations
4.8	mb, body-wave	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Reviewed · 17 stations
4.77	ML, local (Richter)	Southern California Seismic Network	Final · 9 stations
4.5	Mw, moment	USGS historic United States catalog	Final

What happened

The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.

Felt (V) at Toms Place, California and (IV) at Bass Lake, Benton, Big Creek, Miramonte and Yosemite National Park, California. Felt in Esmeralda County, Nevada and Amador, Calaveras, Fresno, Inyo, Madera, Mariposa, Mono, Stanislaus, Tulare and Tuolumne Counties, California.

Maximum observed Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) V

From the USGS event page for nc44669. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.

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 0.2 km horizontally, 0.6 km in depth
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 57°
Stations used: 45

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.1 and up: 121 in the 60 days after this one and 30 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 121.

Before

Earthquakes today California earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc44669 (also filed as ushis3886, usp0002d6s, ci61332). Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 3:30 PM UTC.