M2.6 earthquake 16km E of Willows, CA

A magnitude 2.6 earthquake struck 16km E of Willows, CA on Mon, Aug 2, 2021, 6:02 PM PDT (01:02 UTC), 25 km (15 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M2.9 12km WNW of Alder Springs, 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
2.63	Md, duration	Northern California Seismic System	Preferred · Final · ±0.204 · 54 stations
2.2	ML, local (Richter)	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Reviewed · ±0.051 · 50 stations

1 person 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: 79 in the 60 days after this one and 59 in the 30 days before it.

The first 60 of 79.

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc73604726 (also filed as us6000f1qj). Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 9:58 PM UTC.