California earthquakes

M1.5 earthquake California-Nevada border region

A magnitude 1.5 earthquake struck in the California-Nevada border region on Sat, Oct 18, 1986, 7:56 AM PDT (14:56 UTC), 3 km (2 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M2.0 14 km N of Dixon Lane-Meadow Creek, 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: 1.5 (md), micro
Local time: Sat, Oct 18, 1986, 7:56 AM PDT
UTC: 1986-10-18 14:56:49 UTC
Depth: 3.3 km (2.0 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 37.604° N, 118.912° 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 0.3 km horizontally, 0.5 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.20
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 109°
Stations used: 16

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 200 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 200.

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1144607. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:57 AM UTC.