California earthquakes

M1.8 earthquake 2 km ESE of Sattley, California

A magnitude 1.8 earthquake struck 2 km ESE of Sattley, California on Thu, Dec 26, 1985, 3:19 PM PST (23:19 UTC), 9 km (6 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.6 10 km SSE of Sierra City, 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
1.8 (md), micro
Local time
UTC
1985-12-26 23:19:28 UTC
Depth
9.3 km (5.8 mi), shallow
Epicenter
39.607° N, 120.404° 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 0.5 km horizontally, 0.9 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.12
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
116°
Stations used
14

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 10 in the 60 days after this one and 8 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 1.79 km WNW of Chilcoot-Vinton, California · 14880 days ago · 9 km deep · 30 km away
  2. 4.610 km SSE of Sierra City, California · 14878 days ago · 6 km deep · 20 km away
  3. 2.24 km NE of East Quincy, California · 14874 days ago · 4 km deep · 55 km away
  4. 1.50 km NNW of Lake Almanor Peninsula, California · 14869 days ago · 6 km deep · 98 km away
  5. 2.23 km SSE of Spring Garden, California · 14849 days ago · 4 km deep · 43 km away
  6. 1.82 km SSE of Prattville, California · 14839 days ago · 8 km deep · 91 km away
  7. 2.8Nevada · 14839 days ago · 5 km deep · 94 km away
  8. 1.86 km S of Prattville, California · 14837 days ago · 4 km deep · 89 km away
  9. 2.53 km W of Plumas Eureka (historical), California · 14831 days ago · 0 km deep · 34 km away
  10. 2.60 km W of Spring Garden, California · 14823 days ago · -2 km deep · 46 km away

Before

  1. 1.61 km NW of Lake Almanor West, California · 14882 days ago · 2 km deep · 99 km away
  2. 2.33 km SE of Canyondam, California · 14890 days ago · 4 km deep · 81 km away
  3. 1.74 km WNW of Greenville, California · 14894 days ago · 0 km deep · 79 km away
  4. 2.55 km WNW of Plumas Eureka (historical), California · 14896 days ago · 2 km deep · 36 km away
  5. 1.64 km SSE of Floriston, California · 14897 days ago · 2 km deep · 44 km away
  6. 1.57 km NNW of Truckee, California · 14900 days ago · -1 km deep · 30 km away
  7. 1.67 km NE of Truckee, California · 14902 days ago · 6 km deep · 34 km away
  8. 1.712 km SSW of Lake Almanor West, California · 14906 days ago · 2 km deep · 95 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc62311. Read Wed, Sep 23, 2026, 3:22 AM UTC.