California earthquakes

M4.8 earthquake 22 km NE of Soledad, California

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 22 km NE of Soledad, California on Mon, Jan 13, 1986, 7:09 PM PST (03:09 UTC), 6 km (4 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.5 3 km ENE of Tres Pinos, California. This one was a foreshock.

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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: 4.8 (ml), light
Local time: Mon, Jan 13, 1986, 7:09 PM PST
UTC: 1986-01-14 03:09:36 UTC
Depth: 6.2 km (3.9 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 36.583° N, 121.178° 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, 0.3 km in depth
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 31°
Stations used: 82

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.8 and up: 195 in the 60 days after this one and 54 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 195.

Before

Earthquakes today California earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc63490 (also filed as ushis3916, usp0002q1j). Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 1:56 PM UTC.