California earthquakes

M3.2 earthquake Central California

A magnitude 3.2 earthquake struck in Central California on Thu, Sep 18, 1986, 11:26 PM PDT (06:26 UTC), 9 km (6 mi) below the surface.

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 3.2 (md), minor
Local time: Thu, Sep 18, 1986, 11:26 PM PDT
UTC: 1986-09-19 06:26:33 UTC
Depth: 9.1 km (5.6 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 36.289° N, 120.372° 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: ±0.13
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 58°
Stations used: 47

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 120 in the 60 days after this one and 65 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 120.

Before

Earthquakes today California earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc83021 (also filed as ci709602, usp0002y78). Read Sun, Sep 27, 2026, 6:42 PM UTC.