California earthquakes

M2.9 earthquake 1 km SSW of Blackhawk, California

A magnitude 2.9 earthquake struck 1 km SSW of Blackhawk, California on Mon, Feb 10, 1986, 8:22 AM PST (16:22 UTC), 14 km (9 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.7 15 km NE of East Foothills, 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
2.9 (Md, duration), micro
Magnitude from
Northern California Seismic System
Local time
UTC
1986-02-10 16:22:53 UTC
Depth
14.2 km (8.8 mi), shallow
Epicenter
37.807° N, 121.915° W
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

Magnitude estimates

Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.

Mag.ScaleComputed byNotes
2.88Md, durationNorthern California Seismic SystemPreferred · Final · ±0.13 · 58 stations
2.5ML, local (Richter)USGS National Earthquake Information CenterReviewed

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 0.1 km horizontally, 0.2 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.13
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
51°
Stations used
58

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 182 in the 60 days after this one and 63 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 182.

Before

Earthquakes todayCalifornia earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc66090 (also filed as usp0002qw9). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 10:17 AM UTC.