The 1986 North Palm Springs earthquake occurred on July 8 at 02:20:44 local time with a moment magnitude of 6.0 and a maximum Mercalli Intensity of VII (Very strong).

There are no great earthquakes that are known to have occurred at the pass, where the main trace of the SAF is marked by numerous sag ponds and north-facing scarps.

In Whitewater Canyon, chimneys fell and three homes were destroyed; ceramic columns were broken and a transformer was displaced at the Devers electrical substation.

The California Aqueduct was damaged at several locations and water had to be diverted into a lake bed, and up to 80,000 people lost power for a portion of the day.

At Desert Hot Springs, effects aligned with this rating were broken underground pipes (including a 5-inch water main) and filing cabinets that were knocked over at city hall.

At the Devers substation near North Palm Springs, 75 percent of the ceramic lightning arrestors and circuit breakers were damaged, and a 650,000 lb.

A building collapsed at a drug and alcohol recovery facility and the White Water overpass was damaged due to lateral movement at its south abutment in Palm Springs.

The area of perceptibility for the mainshock was large (130,500 km2), from Malibu and Ridgecrest in California, to Bullhead City and Yuma in Arizona, and Las Vegas in southern Nevada.