California earthquakes

M2.1 earthquake 18 km ENE of Big Pine, California

A magnitude 2.1 earthquake struck 18 km ENE of Big Pine, California on Fri, Dec 18, 1987, 11:40 PM PST (07:40 UTC), -1 km (-1 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.4 11 km WSW of Aspen Springs, 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), micro
Local time
UTC
1987-12-19 07:40:50 UTC
Depth
-1.0 km (-0.6 mi), shallow
Epicenter
37.208° N, 118.087° 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 1.4 km horizontally, 1.9 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.20
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
276°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
28

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 189 in the 60 days after this one and 95 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 189.

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc110089 (also filed as ci630930). Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 10:15 PM UTC.