California earthquakes

M2.1 earthquake 16 km ENE of Willows, California

A magnitude 2.1 earthquake struck 16 km ENE of Willows, California on Fri, Dec 18, 1987, 7:45 AM PST (15:45 UTC), 21 km (13 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.0 27 km E of Covelo, California. This one was a foreshock.

Willows forecastMore in California

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
1987-12-18 15:45:20 UTC
Depth
21.2 km (13.1 mi), shallow
Epicenter
39.561° N, 122.002° 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 2.1 km horizontally, 1.8 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.19
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
270°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
8

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 31 in the 60 days after this one and 23 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 2.341 km WNW of Rancho Tehama Reserve, California · 14163 days ago · 4 km deep · 100 km away
  2. 2.430 km W of Paskenta, California · 14163 days ago · -1 km deep · 86 km away
  3. 1.514 km NNW of Belden, California · 14159 days ago · 12 km deep · 86 km away
  4. 1.68 km ENE of Hidden Valley Lake, California · 14153 days ago · 8 km deep · 90 km away
  5. 2.110 km WSW of Williams, California · 14150 days ago · 2 km deep · 55 km away
  6. 2.29 km SE of Bend, California · 14148 days ago · -1 km deep · 72 km away
  7. 1.9Northern California · 14146 days ago · 8 km deep · 83 km away
  8. 3.027 km E of Covelo, California · 14144 days ago · 4 km deep · 84 km away
  9. 2.27 km WNW of Princeton, California · 14142 days ago · 24 km deep · 16 km away
  10. 2.217 km ESE of Hidden Valley Lake, California · 14141 days ago · 8 km deep · 98 km away
  11. 1.917 km ESE of Hidden Valley Lake, California · 14141 days ago · 7 km deep · 98 km away
  12. 1.94 km NNW of Belden, California · 14138 days ago · 13 km deep · 82 km away
  13. 1.713 km ESE of Paynes Creek, California · 14136 days ago · 3 km deep · 82 km away
  14. 1.712 km NW of Guinda, California · 14135 days ago · 9 km deep · 77 km away
  15. 1.90 km W of Oroville, California · 14132 days ago · 4 km deep · 38 km away
  16. 2.09 km E of Hidden Valley Lake, California · 14129 days ago · 6 km deep · 90 km away
  17. 1.57 km SE of Flournoy, California · 14128 days ago · 77 km deep · 47 km away
  18. 2.09 km E of Hidden Valley Lake, California · 14128 days ago · 7 km deep · 91 km away
  19. 1.73 km NNE of Tehama, California · 14127 days ago · 30 km deep · 56 km away
  20. 1.69 km E of Hidden Valley Lake, California · 14127 days ago · 5 km deep · 94 km away
  21. 1.824 km NE of Potter Valley, California · 14123 days ago · 9 km deep · 82 km away
  22. 2.210 km NNE of Bend, California · 14123 days ago · 17 km deep · 87 km away
  23. 2.112 km NE of Bend, California · 14118 days ago · 12 km deep · 88 km away
  24. 1.89 km NNE of Bend, California · 14117 days ago · 18 km deep · 87 km away
  25. 2.99 km SSW of Quincy, California · 14117 days ago · 11 km deep · 94 km away
  26. 1.68 km E of Potter Valley, California · 14111 days ago · 0 km deep · 92 km away
  27. 2.18 km E of Potter Valley, California · 14110 days ago · 4 km deep · 91 km away
  28. 1.917 km NE of Potter Valley, California · 14107 days ago · 6 km deep · 82 km away
  29. 1.922 km NNE of Potter Valley, California · 14106 days ago · 3 km deep · 86 km away
  30. 1.823 km NNE of Potter Valley, California · 14106 days ago · 4 km deep · 86 km away
  31. 2.021 km ENE of Potter Valley, California · 14105 days ago · 4 km deep · 79 km away

Before

  1. 2.918 km NNE of Upper Lake, California · 14166 days ago · 3 km deep · 76 km away
  2. 2.03 km SE of Hamilton City, California · 14173 days ago · 13 km deep · 18 km away
  3. 1.93 km S of Nord, California · 14173 days ago · 18 km deep · 21 km away
  4. 1.79 km ESE of Hidden Valley Lake, California · 14176 days ago · 7 km deep · 95 km away
  5. 2.14 km SW of Hamilton City, California · 14177 days ago · 16 km deep · 18 km away
  6. 2.338 km NW of Paskenta, California · 14178 days ago · -1 km deep · 98 km away
  7. 2.014 km WSW of Lake Almanor West, California · 14178 days ago · 6 km deep · 88 km away
  8. 2.17 km E of Potter Valley, California · 14179 days ago · 0 km deep · 92 km away
  9. 2.138 km NW of Paskenta, California · 14180 days ago · -1 km deep · 97 km away
  10. 3.438 km WNW of Rancho Tehama Reserve, California · 14180 days ago · -1 km deep · 97 km away
  11. 3.937 km NW of Paskenta, California · 14180 days ago · 0 km deep · 95 km away
  12. 3.233 km NW of Paskenta, California · 14180 days ago · -1 km deep · 92 km away
  13. 2.435 km NW of Paskenta, California · 14180 days ago · 5 km deep · 93 km away
  14. 3.739 km NW of Paskenta, California · 14181 days ago · 6 km deep · 98 km away
  15. 3.436 km NW of Paskenta, California · 14181 days ago · -1 km deep · 95 km away
  16. 1.920 km ENE of Potter Valley, California · 14182 days ago · 7 km deep · 79 km away
  17. 1.69 km ESE of Hidden Valley Lake, California · 14185 days ago · 6 km deep · 96 km away
  18. 1.936 km NW of Paskenta, California · 14186 days ago · -1 km deep · 95 km away
  19. 1.826 km NW of Paskenta, California · 14186 days ago · 4 km deep · 86 km away
  20. 2.536 km NW of Paskenta, California · 14186 days ago · 4 km deep · 95 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc10086005. Read Mon, Sep 28, 2026, 5:07 PM UTC.