California earthquakes

M2.4 earthquake 20 km S of Big Sur, California

A magnitude 2.4 earthquake struck 20 km S of Big Sur, California on Tue, Jul 22, 1986, 3:37 AM PDT (10:37 UTC), 17 km (11 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.4 22 km NNE of Soledad, 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
2.4 (md), micro
Local time
UTC
1986-07-22 10:37:05 UTC
Depth
16.9 km (10.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
36.086° N, 121.843° 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 0.9 km horizontally, 0.3 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.08
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
229°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
39

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 145 in the 60 days after this one and 94 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 145.

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc92012. Read Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 8:22 PM UTC.