California earthquakes

M3.1 earthquake 14 km N of Coalinga, California

A magnitude 3.1 earthquake struck 14 km N of Coalinga, California on Thu, Mar 13, 1986, 12:36 AM PST (08:36 UTC), 8 km (5 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.2 10 km S of Tres Pinos, California. This one was a foreshock.

Coalinga forecast More in California

Map

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

Open the live map with earthquakes

The earthquake

Magnitude: 3.1 (md), minor
Local time: Thu, Mar 13, 1986, 12:36 AM PST
UTC: 1986-03-13 08:36:59 UTC
Depth: 8.1 km (5.0 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 36.268° N, 120.360° 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 0.2 km horizontally, 0.2 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.14
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 59°
Stations used: 53

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 159 in the 60 days after this one and 34 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 159.

Before

Earthquakes today California earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc68007 (also filed as ci118663, usp0002rtk). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:41 PM UTC.