California earthquakes

M3.0 earthquake Central California

A magnitude 3.0 earthquake struck in Central California on Mon, Sep 1, 1986, 12:43 PM PDT (19:43 UTC), 8 km (5 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.4 15 km NW of Coalinga, 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: 3.0 (md), minor
Local time: Mon, Sep 1, 1986, 12:43 PM PDT
UTC: 1986-09-01 19:43:02 UTC
Depth: 7.9 km (4.9 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 35.818° N, 120.367° 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 0.1 km horizontally, 0.2 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.09
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 46°
Stations used: 41

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 92 in the 60 days after this one and 45 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 92.

Before

Earthquakes today California earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc80920 (also filed as ci708385, usp0002xrc). Read Sun, Sep 27, 2026, 5:33 PM UTC.