M2.2 earthquake 20 km NW of Parkfield, California

A magnitude 2.2 earthquake struck 20 km NW of Parkfield, California on Mon, Oct 29, 1990, 5:48 PM PST (01:48 UTC), 4 km (3 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.0 11 km SSW of Oak Shores, 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
2.22	Md, duration	Northern California Seismic System	Preferred · Final · ±0.11 · 38 stations
2.18	Mc	Southern California Seismic Network	Final · 5 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: 121 in the 60 days after this one and 68 in the 30 days before it.

The first 60 of 121.

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc201286 (also filed as ci2007197). Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 7:46 AM UTC.