California earthquakes

M1.6 earthquake 4 km NW of Round Valley, California

A magnitude 1.6 earthquake struck 4 km NW of Round Valley, California on Tue, Dec 31, 1985, 12:20 PM PST (20:20 UTC), 13 km (8 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M2.1 4 km NW of Round Valley, California. This one was a foreshock.

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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
1.6 (md), micro
Local time
UTC
1985-12-31 20:20:26 UTC
Depth
13.0 km (8.1 mi), shallow
Epicenter
37.454° N, 118.620° 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 0.2 km horizontally, 0.7 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.28
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
57°
Stations used
29

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 117 in the 60 days after this one and 57 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 117.

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc62528. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:21 PM UTC.