M1.5 earthquake 4 km NNE of Big Pine, California

A magnitude 1.5 earthquake struck 4 km NNE of Big Pine, California on Sun, Nov 17, 2002, 1:43 AM PST (09:43 UTC), 11 km (7 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.1 36 km S of Goldfield, Nevada. 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
1.52	Md, duration	Northern California Seismic System	Preferred · Final · ±0.09 · 4 stations
0.6	mb, body-wave	Nevada Seismological Laboratory	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: 122 in the 60 days after this one and 54 in the 30 days before it.

The first 60 of 122.

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc21255393 (also filed as nn00059292). Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 12:01 PM UTC.