With a moment magnitude of 6.2 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VI (Strong), the shock injured two people and caused property damage estimated at $2.7 million in the affected areas.

There was a significant foreshock and aftershock sequence that included a few moderate events, and was the last in a series of three earthquakes that affected southern California and the northern Owens Valley in July 1986.

Strong motion stations at the Long Valley Dam and an instrumented building in Bishop captured light to moderate readings from the event.

The surface of the layered plateau is known as Bishop Tuff and features fumarole mounds and hundreds of north–south oriented fault scarps, many of which are visible on topographic maps, via aerial photography, and satellite imagery.

[5] The University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) both operated seismograph networks in the region where the Chalfant Valley earthquake sequence occurred.

Campers were briefly trapped at the Pleasant Valley Reservoir when a 150 ft (46 m) section of an access road was destroyed as a result of land movement.

The cracks trended 350° and a maximum right-lateral slip of about 11 centimeters (4.3 in) was measured, though other vertical (downslope) or extensional movement was also seen, especially on the 150 m (500 ft)-thick surface of the Bishop Tuff in the Volcanic Tableland.

Also in this classification was damage to pipe supports along a portion of the Los Angeles Aqueduct between the Upper, Middle, and Control Gorge Power Plants southeast of Crowley Lake.

The station at the earthen Long Valley Dam had produced many quality recordings since being put into operation in 1979 and saw mainshock accelerations of 0.09 g on bedrock, and 0.24 g on an upper abutment.

Ten days following the mainshock on July 31, a stronger aftershock occurred with a local magnitude of 5.8 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VI (Strong).

That aftershock was felt in California and western Nevada, broke windows and knocked items off shelves in Bishop, and light fixtures were damaged at the National Weather Service office.