California earthquakes

M2.4 earthquake 1 km NNW of North Gate, California

A magnitude 2.4 earthquake struck 1 km NNW of North Gate, California on Tue, Mar 20, 1990, 5:31 AM PST (13:31 UTC), 15 km (9 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.4 3 km SSE of North Gate, 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
2.4 (Md, duration), micro
Magnitude from
Northern California Seismic System
Local time
UTC
1990-03-20 13:31:21 UTC
Depth
14.9 km (9.3 mi), shallow
Epicenter
37.922° N, 122.005° W
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

Magnitude estimates

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.ScaleComputed byNotes
2.37Md, durationNorthern California Seismic SystemPreferred · Final · ±0.12 · 33 stations
1.9ML, local (Richter)USGS National Earthquake Information CenterReviewed

What happened

The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.

Felt at Concord.

From the USGS event page for nc154516. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.

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 0.2 km horizontally, 0.4 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.12
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
75°
Stations used
37

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 195 in the 60 days after this one and 51 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 195.

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc154516 (also filed as usp00046v1). Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 11:41 AM UTC.