California earthquakes

M5.9 earthquake 18 km NNE of Mesa, California

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck 18 km NNE of Mesa, California on Sun, Jul 20, 1986, 7:29 AM PDT (14:29 UTC), 5 km (3 mi) below the surface.

Dixon Lane-Meadow Creek 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: 5.9 (ml), moderate
Local time: Sun, Jul 20, 1986, 7:29 AM PDT
UTC: 1986-07-20 14:29:45 UTC
Depth: 5.0 km (3.1 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 37.567° N, 118.438° W
Region: California
Strongest shaking: VIII, severe shaking
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Shaking

The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.

Strongest estimated: VIII, severe shaking
Peak ground acceleration: 41.0% of gravity
Peak ground velocity: 3.6 cm/s
Map: Automatic

USGS ShakeMap: estimated shaking intensity around the epicenter — Estimated shaking intensity. Map: USGS ShakeMap.

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, 0.8 km in depth
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 54°
Stations used: 41

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 200 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 200.

Earthquakes today California earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc99451 (also filed as gcmtb072086b, ushis3967, usp0002w7b, iscgem491199, ci602580, atlas19860720142949). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 3:42 AM UTC.