California earthquakes

M2.8 earthquake 14 km WSW of Redcrest, California

A magnitude 2.8 earthquake struck 14 km WSW of Redcrest, California on Sat, Dec 20, 1986, 4:05 PM PST (00:05 UTC), 30 km (19 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.4 36 km SSW of Ferndale, 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
2.8 (md), micro
Local time
UTC
1986-12-21 00:05:53 UTC
Depth
30.0 km (18.6 mi), shallow
Epicenter
40.336° N, 124.097° W
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 0.5 km horizontally, 0.9 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.18
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
105°
Stations used
12

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 38 in the 60 days after this one and 86 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc10084492. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:55 AM UTC.