M3.8 earthquake 22 km NE of Soledad, California

A magnitude 3.8 earthquake struck 22 km NE of Soledad, California on Fri, May 24, 2002, 10:44 AM PDT (17:44 UTC), 2 km (1 mi) below the surface.

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
3.75	ML, local (Richter)	Northern California Seismic System	Preferred · Final · 13 stations
3.8	ML, local (Richter)	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Reviewed

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

Felt (IV) at Paicines.

From the USGS event page for nc21227108. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.

The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.

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: 194 in the 60 days after this one and 90 in the 30 days before it.

The first 60 of 194.

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc21227108 (also filed as usp000b4wq). Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 7:01 AM UTC.