California earthquakes

M2.1 earthquake 7 km SSE of Washington, California

A magnitude 2.1 earthquake struck 7 km SSE of Washington, California on Fri, Apr 18, 1986, 12:21 AM PST (08:21 UTC), 4 km (2 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M2.8 3 km ESE of South Oroville, 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
2.1 (Md, duration), micro
Magnitude from
Northern California Seismic System
Local time
UTC
1986-04-18 08:21:46 UTC
Depth
3.7 km (2.3 mi), shallow
Epicenter
39.300° N, 120.761° 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 3.0 km horizontally, 8.1 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.22
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
190°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
4

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 23 in the 60 days after this one and 17 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 2.311 km W of South Lake Tahoe, California · 14777 days ago · 8 km deep · 68 km away
  2. 1.64 km ENE of Tobin, California · 14776 days ago · 4 km deep · 84 km away
  3. 2.32 km WSW of Plumas Eureka (historical), California · 14776 days ago · 4 km deep · 50 km away
  4. 2.13 km ENE of Alleghany, California · 14775 days ago · 13 km deep · 20 km away
  5. 1.97 km ESE of Magalia, California · 14767 days ago · 11 km deep · 84 km away
  6. 2.02 km E of Tobin, California · 14767 days ago · 3 km deep · 84 km away
  7. 1.70 km SSE of Meadow Valley, California · 14766 days ago · 3 km deep · 74 km away
  8. 2.56 km WNW of Palermo, California · 14762 days ago · 22 km deep · 75 km away
  9. 2.314 km S of Kingvale, California · 14759 days ago · 5 km deep · 31 km away
  10. 2.32 km E of Storrie, California · 14759 days ago · 4 km deep · 83 km away
  11. 1.85 km W of Cherokee, California · 14758 days ago · 5 km deep · 81 km away
  12. 1.95 km W of Twain, California · 14758 days ago · 8 km deep · 86 km away
  13. 2.61 km W of Berry Creek, California · 14757 days ago · 5 km deep · 69 km away
  14. 2.312 km SSE of Sierraville, California · 14756 days ago · -1 km deep · 43 km away
  15. 1.61 km NNE of Thermalito, California · 14756 days ago · 1 km deep · 75 km away
  16. 2.49 km SSE of Stirling City, California · 14755 days ago · 4 km deep · 85 km away
  17. 1.73 km W of Greenville, California · 14749 days ago · 4 km deep · 96 km away
  18. 2.512 km SE of Bucks Lake, California · 14748 days ago · 6 km deep · 61 km away
  19. 2.83 km ESE of South Oroville, California · 14744 days ago · 0 km deep · 67 km away
  20. 2.78 km W of Floriston, California · 14743 days ago · 1 km deep · 56 km away
  21. 2.16 km ESE of Sierraville, California · 14728 days ago · -1 km deep · 50 km away
  22. 1.65 km WNW of Alpine Village, California · 14726 days ago · 5 km deep · 95 km away
  23. 2.03 km NNE of Palermo, California · 14718 days ago · 23 km deep · 68 km away

Before

  1. 2.13 km ENE of Alleghany, California · 14777 days ago · 14 km deep · 20 km away
  2. 2.1Northern California · 14778 days ago · 11 km deep · 20 km away
  3. 2.63 km ESE of Alleghany, California · 14778 days ago · -1 km deep · 17 km away
  4. 2.06 km W of Twain, California · 14778 days ago · 5 km deep · 86 km away
  5. 1.9Northern California · 14779 days ago · 4 km deep · 20 km away
  6. 2.33 km ENE of Alleghany, California · 14780 days ago · 12 km deep · 21 km away
  7. 2.13 km ENE of Alleghany, California · 14780 days ago · 12 km deep · 21 km away
  8. 1.93 km ENE of Alleghany, California · 14780 days ago · 16 km deep · 21 km away
  9. 1.65 km NE of Alleghany, California · 14780 days ago · 4 km deep · 23 km away
  10. 2.35 km ENE of Sierra City, California · 14782 days ago · 4 km deep · 35 km away
  11. 2.34 km ESE of East Quincy, California · 14789 days ago · 3 km deep · 69 km away
  12. 2.29 km NNW of Truckee, California · 14794 days ago · 8 km deep · 49 km away
  13. 2.4Northern California · 14794 days ago · 3 km deep · 83 km away
  14. 2.18 km NNE of Dobbins, California · 14795 days ago · 10 km deep · 37 km away
  15. 2.22 km SSW of Storrie, California · 14802 days ago · 4 km deep · 83 km away
  16. 2.31 km NW of Mesa Vista, California · 14803 days ago · 6 km deep · 98 km away
  17. 1.64 km SSW of Kingvale, California · 14806 days ago · 4 km deep · 27 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc70543. Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 6:08 PM UTC.