California earthquakes

M2.3 earthquake 11km SE of Markleeville, CA

A magnitude 2.3 earthquake struck 11km SE of Markleeville, CA on Sat, Dec 23, 2017, 7:42 AM PST (15:42 UTC), -1 km (-1 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M2.8 12 km NW of Virginia City, Nevada. 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
2.3 (Md, duration), micro
Magnitude from
Northern California Seismic System
Local time
UTC
2017-12-23 15:42:14 UTC
Depth
-1.0 km (-0.6 mi), shallow
Epicenter
38.619° N, 119.702° 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
2.27Md, durationNorthern California Seismic SystemPreferred · Final · ±0.209 · 33 stations
1.8ML, local (Richter)Nevada Seismological LaboratoryReviewed · ±0.32 · 14 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, 2.5 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.21
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
98°
Stations used
31

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 56 in the 60 days after this one and 12 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc72943616 (also filed as nn00616171). Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 9:03 PM UTC.