M2.8 earthquake 21 km NE of Soledad, California

A magnitude 2.8 earthquake struck 21 km NE of Soledad, California on Sun, Oct 18, 1987, 7:45 AM PDT (14:45 UTC), 9 km (5 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.0 21 km NNE of Soledad, California. This one was a foreshock.

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.

Mag.	Scale	Computed by	Notes
2.79	Md, duration	Northern California Seismic System	Preferred · Final · ±0.14 · 65 stations
2.5	ML, local (Richter)	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Reviewed

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

Reviewed by a seismologist.

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

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 155 in the 60 days after this one and 56 in the 30 days before it.

The first 60 of 155.

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc107332 (also filed as usp00039cq). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 9:08 AM UTC.