California earthquakes

M2.8 earthquake 17km SSE of Whitehawk, CA

A magnitude 2.8 earthquake struck 17km SSE of Whitehawk, CA on Fri, Mar 15, 2019, 7:55 AM PDT (14:55 UTC), -1 km (-1 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M2.9 10km SW of Cold Springs, NV. 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
2.8 (Md, duration), micro
Magnitude from
Northern California Seismic System
Local time
UTC
2019-03-15 14:55:10 UTC
Depth
-1.4 km (-0.9 mi), shallow
Epicenter
39.585° N, 120.456° W
Felt reports
13
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
2.82Md, durationNorthern California Seismic SystemPreferred · Final · ±0.139 · 44 stations
2.8ML, local (Richter)Nevada Seismological LaboratoryReviewed · ±0.29 · 6 stations

Did you feel it?

13 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was IV, light shaking.

Did You Feel It? map: shaking reported by the public
Shaking reported by the public, by area. Map: USGS Did You Feel It?

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty
About 0.2 km horizontally, 1.2 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.14
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
67°
Stations used
30

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 27 in the 60 days after this one and 11 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc73152386 (also filed as nn00680014). Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 6:38 PM UTC.