California earthquakes

M3.1 earthquake 21 km SSE of Benton, California

A magnitude 3.1 earthquake struck 21 km SSE of Benton, California on Mon, Jul 21, 1986, 3:10 PM PDT (22:10 UTC), 1 km (1 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.8 10 km NNE of Dixon Lane-Meadow Creek, California. This one was a foreshock.

Dixon Lane-Meadow Creek forecast More in California

Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 3.1 (Md, duration), minor
Magnitude from: Northern California Seismic System
Local time: Mon, Jul 21, 1986, 3:10 PM PDT
UTC: 1986-07-21 22:10:36 UTC
Depth: 1.2 km (0.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 37.632° N, 118.416° W
Region: California
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 4.6 km horizontally, 1.6 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.35
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 300°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used: 19

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: at least 202 in the 60 days after this one and at least 200 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of at least 202.

Before

Earthquakes today California earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc95471. Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 10:54 PM UTC.