M2.0 earthquake 16km SW of Loyalton, CA

A magnitude 2.0 earthquake struck 16km SW of Loyalton, CA on Thu, Feb 18, 2021, 1:42 AM PST (09:42 UTC), 4 km (3 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M2.7 10km SSE of Beckwourth, 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
2.01	Md, duration	Northern California Seismic System	Preferred · Final · ±0.132 · 18 stations
1.5	ML, local (Richter)	Nevada Seismological Laboratory	Reviewed · ±0.36 · 9 stations

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: 27 in the 60 days after this one and 12 in the 30 days before it.

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc73524611 (also filed as nn00800642). Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 1:56 AM UTC.