M2.6 earthquake 14km SSE of Willows, CA

A magnitude 2.6 earthquake struck 14km SSE of Willows, CA on Sun, Jan 31, 2021, 1:20 AM PST (09:20 UTC), 26 km (16 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.8 7km NW of The Geysers, 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
2.56	ML, local (Richter)	Northern California Seismic System	Preferred · Final · ±0.196 · 22 stations
2.6	ML, local (Richter)	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Reviewed · ±0.046 · 61 stations

10 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: 146 in the 60 days after this one and 73 in the 30 days before it.

The first 60 of 146.

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc73518845 (also filed as us6000dddk). Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 2:59 PM UTC.