M2.0 earthquake 16 km SSW of Big Pine, California

A magnitude 2.0 earthquake struck 16 km SSW of Big Pine, California on Sat, Oct 20, 1990, 4:31 AM PDT (11:31 UTC), 3 km (2 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.5 12km E of Lone Pine, CA. 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
1.96	Md, duration	Northern California Seismic System	Preferred · Final · ±0.34 · 12 stations
2.25	Mc	Southern California Seismic Network	Final · 8 stations

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: 139 in the 60 days after this one and 105 in the 30 days before it.

The first 60 of 139.

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc165584 (also filed as ci2006655). Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 3:03 PM UTC.