California earthquakes

M3.2 earthquake 2 km E of Mesa, California

A magnitude 3.2 earthquake struck 2 km E of Mesa, California on Thu, Feb 21, 2002, 1:52 AM PST (09:52 UTC), 8 km (5 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.7 13 km W of Aspen Springs, 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: 3.2 (Md, duration), minor
Magnitude from: Northern California Seismic System
Local time: Thu, Feb 21, 2002, 1:52 AM PST
UTC: 2002-02-21 09:52:35 UTC
Depth: 8.4 km (5.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 37.416° N, 118.517° W
Region: California
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.	Scale	Computed by	Notes
3.22	Md, duration	Northern California Seismic System	Preferred · Final · ±0.1 · 53 stations
3.0	ML, local (Richter)	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Reviewed
2.8	ML, local (Richter)	Nevada Seismological Laboratory	Reviewed
2.76	ML, local (Richter)	Southern California Seismic Network	Final · ±0.061 · 1 stations

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 0.3 km horizontally, 0.9 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.10
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 68°
Stations used: 33

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 142 in the 60 days after this one and 37 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 142.

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc21213600 (also filed as ci12456080, nn00044840, usp000ayw1). Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 8:02 AM UTC.