California earthquakes

M3.0 earthquake 13 km E of Alta, California

A magnitude 3.0 earthquake struck 13 km E of Alta, California on Sun, Nov 2, 1986, 11:39 AM PST (19:39 UTC), 3 km (2 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.2 6 km NE of Linda, California. This one was a foreshock.

Alta forecastMore in California

Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude
3.0 (md), micro
Local time
UTC
1986-11-02 19:39:29 UTC
Depth
2.9 km (1.8 mi), shallow
Epicenter
39.219° N, 120.656° 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, 1.3 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.17
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
66°
Stations used
44

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 14 in the 60 days after this one and 21 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 1.99 km N of Truckee, California · 14569 days ago · 9 km deep · 44 km away
  2. 3.26 km NE of Linda, California · 14569 days ago · 18 km deep · 74 km away
  3. 2.211 km SE of Sierraville, California · 14565 days ago · -1 km deep · 45 km away
  4. 3.014 km S of Kingvale, California · 14562 days ago · 5 km deep · 18 km away
  5. 2.414 km S of Kingvale, California · 14550 days ago · -1 km deep · 18 km away
  6. 2.111 km N of Truckee, CA · 14546 days ago · 2 km deep · 48 km away
  7. 2.86 km W of Floriston, California · 14545 days ago · 3 km deep · 53 km away
  8. 2.07 km N of Greenhorn, California · 14544 days ago · 17 km deep · 84 km away
  9. 2.05 km N of Greenhorn, California · 14544 days ago · 6 km deep · 82 km away
  10. 2.314 km S of Kingvale, California · 14540 days ago · 2 km deep · 19 km away
  11. 2.5Northern California · 14536 days ago · 4 km deep · 53 km away
  12. 1.99 km N of Truckee, California · 14527 days ago · 8 km deep · 45 km away
  13. 1.610 km NNW of Truckee, California · 14527 days ago · 10 km deep · 44 km away
  14. 2.13 km E of Keddie, California · 14525 days ago · 5 km deep · 91 km away

Before

  1. 1.98 km NNW of Kingvale, California · 14577 days ago · 6 km deep · 27 km away
  2. 2.12 km SW of Sheridan, California · 14577 days ago · 5 km deep · 70 km away
  3. 3.03 km WSW of Palermo, California · 14577 days ago · 5 km deep · 82 km away
  4. 1.99 km E of West Point, California · 14577 days ago · 5 km deep · 94 km away
  5. 1.61 km NNE of Bear Valley, California · 14577 days ago · 5 km deep · 98 km away
  6. 2.12 km S of Taylorsville, California · 14581 days ago · 6 km deep · 94 km away
  7. 1.5Northern California · 14581 days ago · 7 km deep · 44 km away
  8. 2.14 km S of Sattley, California · 14581 days ago · -1 km deep · 44 km away
  9. 2.49 km SSW of Sattley, California · 14586 days ago · 4 km deep · 38 km away
  10. 1.84 km S of Sattley, California · 14588 days ago · -1 km deep · 44 km away
  11. 2.04 km SSW of Sattley, California · 14589 days ago · -1 km deep · 44 km away
  12. 2.34 km SSE of Doyle, California · 14590 days ago · 6 km deep · 99 km away
  13. 1.72 km SSW of Sierraville, California · 14592 days ago · 7 km deep · 45 km away
  14. 1.93 km SW of Sierraville, California · 14592 days ago · 5 km deep · 45 km away
  15. 1.93 km SW of Sierraville, California · 14593 days ago · 7 km deep · 45 km away
  16. 2.03 km SW of Sierraville, California · 14593 days ago · 5 km deep · 45 km away
  17. 2.04 km WSW of Sierraville, California · 14594 days ago · -2 km deep · 44 km away
  18. 1.91 km SW of Floriston, California · 14603 days ago · 4 km deep · 57 km away
  19. 1.81 km SSW of Floriston, California · 14603 days ago · 4 km deep · 57 km away
  20. 2.69 km SW of Doyle, California · 14603 days ago · -2 km deep · 93 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc87159 (also filed as usp0002zm7). Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 12:03 AM UTC.