California earthquakes

M3.9 earthquake 11km WSW of El Centro, CA

A magnitude 3.9 earthquake struck 11km WSW of El Centro, CA on Fri, Sep 18, 1936, 6:27 AM GMT-8 (14:27 UTC), 6 km (4 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.1 21km WSW of Westmorland, CA. This one was a foreshock.

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Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
3.9 (ml), minor
Local time
UTC
1936-09-18 14:27:11 UTC
Depth
6.0 km (3.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter
32.765° N, 115.673° W
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty
About 1.6 km horizontally, 31.6 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.11
Depth from
Operator assigned
Station coverage gap
328°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
3

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 24 in the 60 days after this one and 6 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 2.523km NNE of Ocotillo, CA · 32882 days ago · 6 km deep · 24 km away
  2. 2.62km SSE of El Centro, CA · 32882 days ago · 6 km deep · 12 km away
  3. 4.06km WSW of Holtville, CA · 32882 days ago · 6 km deep · 22 km away
  4. 2.96km ENE of El Centro, CA · 32882 days ago · 6 km deep · 17 km away
  5. 3.52km SSE of Imperial, CA · 32882 days ago · 6 km deep · 13 km away
  6. 3.76km ESE of Imperial, CA · 32882 days ago · 6 km deep · 18 km away
  7. 3.710km SW of El Centro, CA · 32881 days ago · 6 km deep · 5 km away
  8. 2.88km N of Brawley, CA · 32881 days ago · 6 km deep · 34 km away
  9. 3.45km N of Puebla, B.C., MX · 32881 days ago · 6 km deep · 35 km away
  10. 2.717km ENE of Ocotillo, CA · 32881 days ago · 6 km deep · 17 km away
  11. 2.38km W of Ocotillo, CA · 32868 days ago · 6 km deep · 38 km away
  12. 2.719km SW of Ocotillo, CA · 32864 days ago · 6 km deep · 47 km away
  13. 2.426km S of Ocotillo, CA · 32864 days ago · 6 km deep · 43 km away
  14. 4.023km WSW of Westmorland, CA · 32858 days ago · 6 km deep · 31 km away
  15. 2.724km W of Westmorland, CA · 32858 days ago · 6 km deep · 32 km away
  16. 4.121km WSW of Westmorland, CA · 32857 days ago · 6 km deep · 26 km away
  17. 2.67km NNE of Ocotillo, CA · 32857 days ago · 6 km deep · 28 km away
  18. 2.711km ESE of Ocotillo, CA · 32857 days ago · 6 km deep · 22 km away
  19. 3.028km SW of Progreso, B.C., MX · 32857 days ago · 6 km deep · 40 km away
  20. 2.918km WSW of Westmorland, CA · 32856 days ago · 6 km deep · 23 km away
  21. 2.517km S of Ocotillo Wells, CA · 32840 days ago · 6 km deep · 47 km away
  22. 2.840km SE of Campo, CA · 32840 days ago · 6 km deep · 71 km away
  23. 2.718km NNE of Ocotillo, CA · 32827 days ago · 6 km deep · 30 km away
  24. 2.813km ESE of Calipatria, CA · 32823 days ago · 6 km deep · 45 km away

Before

  1. 2.417km WSW of Westmorland, CA · 32882 days ago · 6 km deep · 29 km away
  2. 2.610km WSW of Westmorland, CA · 32882 days ago · 6 km deep · 27 km away
  3. 2.524km SW of Westmorland, CA · 32882 days ago · 6 km deep · 22 km away
  4. 2.719km NE of Ocotillo, CA · 32882 days ago · 6 km deep · 17 km away
  5. 3.222km SE of Ocotillo Wells, CA · 32889 days ago · 6 km deep · 39 km away
  6. 3.621km NE of Pine Valley, CA · 32901 days ago · 6 km deep · 72 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci3363821. Read Mon, Sep 28, 2026, 3:33 AM UTC.