USGS · October 20, 2026

Magnitude 2.8 earthquake near Mammoth Lakes, California

A magnitude 2.8 earthquake was recorded near 39 km SSW of Qualeys Camp, NV on Oct 20, 2026, 12:52 AM (local time at the epicentre — PDT, UTC-7), at a depth of about 11.3 km, according to USGS.

USGSShallow (0–70 km)Automatic solution — subject to revision

Updated 2026-10-20 10:15 UTC

The full record

Magnitude
M 2.8 · duration magnitude
Location
39 km SSW of Qualeys Camp, NV
Local time at the epicentre
Oct 20, 2026, 12:52 AM — PDT, UTC-7
Time (UTC)
2026-10-20 07:52 UTC
Depth
11.3 km · Shallow (0–70 km)
Coordinates
37.976, -118.669
Felt reports
No “Did You Feel It?” reports submitted
Tsunami
No tsunami evaluation was flagged for this earthquake.
Significance
124 / 1000 · routine event
Solution quality
47 seismic stations used · 69° azimuthal gap (well-constrained epicentre)
Review status
Automatic solution — subject to revision
Catalog
USGS

Open the official catalog record

Epicentre and nearby recent earthquakes

The highlighted circle is this earthquake. Smaller circles are other events recorded nearby in the last 30 days.

What the shaking was like

Shallow earthquakes release their energy close to the surface, so they are felt more strongly nearby than a deeper earthquake of the same magnitude.

No intensity estimate was published for this event, which is usual for small earthquakes far from populated areas.

Felt it yourself? USGS collects first-hand reports through “Did You Feel It?”, and those reports are what produce the community intensity above.

Who lives nearby

About 0 people live in towns within 30 km of the epicentre, and 23,639 within 100 km. Distances are from the epicentre to the town centre.

PlaceDistancePopulation
Mammoth Lakes45.1 km SW7,946
Bridgeport58.2 km WNW575
Hawthorne61.1 km N3,269
Dixon Lane-Meadow Creek69.3 km SSE2,645
West Bishop71.0 km SSE2,607
Bishop72.3 km SSE3,806
Yosemite Valley84.0 km WSW1,035
Big Pine96.2 km SSE1,756

Earthquake history in this area

12 earthquakes of magnitude 4.5+ have been recorded within 200 km of this epicentre since 1960, in California.

Other earthquakes near this epicentre

10 other events within 100 km in the last 30 days.

Be first to know about the next earthquake near 39 km SSW of Qualeys Camp, NV

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Frequently asked questions

How strong was the 39 km SSW of Qualeys Camp, NV earthquake?

Magnitude 2.8 (duration magnitude), at a depth of 11.3 km. Shallow earthquakes release their energy close to the surface, so they are felt more strongly nearby than a deeper earthquake of the same magnitude.

Exactly when did it happen?

Oct 20, 2026, 12:52 AM (local time at the epicentre — PDT, UTC-7). In universal time: 2026-10-20 07:52 UTC.

Was it felt?

No “Did You Feel It?” reports were submitted for this event. Small earthquakes usually pass unnoticed except very close to the epicentre.

Was there a tsunami warning?

No tsunami evaluation was flagged for this earthquake.

Which towns are closest to the epicentre?

The closest is Mammoth Lakes, 45.1 km SW (population 7,946).

Are earthquakes normal in this area?

Yes. The largest earthquake recorded within 200 km since 1960 was magnitude 6.5 (Monte Cristo Range, NV Earthquake, 2020), and 10 further events were recorded within 100 km in the last 30 days.

How do I get alerts for the next earthquake here?

Install the free SeismoWatch Android app, draw a box over this area, set a minimum magnitude, and turn alerts on.

About this page

Event data: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), in Venezuela FUNVISIS and in Brazil the RSBR through the Centro de Sismologia da USP. Populated places and time zones: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Preliminary solutions are revised as more observations arrive.