California earthquakes

M1.5 earthquake 21 km NNW of Covelo, California

A magnitude 1.5 earthquake struck 21 km NNW of Covelo, California on Tue, Jan 20, 1987, 6:29 AM PST (14:29 UTC), 0 km (0 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.1 11 km NNE of Comptche, 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
1.5 (md), micro
Local time
UTC
1987-01-20 14:29:11 UTC
Depth
-0.1 km (-0.1 mi), shallow
Epicenter
39.965° N, 123.362° 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 1.1 km horizontally, 8.2 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.23
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
185°, 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: 28 in the 60 days after this one and 21 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc10083721. Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 11:04 PM UTC.