M2.6 earthquake 20km NNW of Tehachapi, CA

A magnitude 2.6 earthquake struck 20km NNW of Tehachapi, CA on Fri, May 8, 2020, 4:40 PM PDT (23:40 UTC), 4 km (2 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.8 19km ESE of Little Lake, CA. 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
2.6	ML, local (Richter)	Southern California Seismic Network	Preferred · Final · ±0.185 · 26 stations
2.6	ML, local (Richter)	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Reviewed · ±0.042 · 76 stations

2 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was II, weak shaking.

Reviewed by a seismologist.

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

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 159 in the 60 days after this one and 74 in the 30 days before it.

The first 60 of 159.

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci38486090 (also filed as us70009cxx). Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 3:05 PM UTC.