California earthquakes

M3.5 earthquake 32km S of Lompoc, CA

A magnitude 3.5 earthquake struck 32km S of Lompoc, CA on Sat, Sep 12, 1936, 5:56 AM GMT-8 (13:56 UTC), 6 km (4 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.1 38km WNW of San Miguel Is., CA. This one was a foreshock.

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude
3.5 (ML, local (Richter)), minor
Magnitude from
Southern California Seismic Network
Local time
UTC
1936-09-12 13:56:59 UTC
Depth
6.0 km (3.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter
34.349° N, 120.460° 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 7.8 km horizontally, 31.6 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.14
Depth from
Operator assigned
Station coverage gap
298°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
4

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 9 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 2.916km S of Lompoc, CA · 32889 days ago · 6 km deep · 16 km away
  2. 4.138km WNW of San Miguel Is., CA · 32857 days ago · 6 km deep · 40 km away
  3. 3.218km NNE of Nipomo, CA · 32857 days ago · 6 km deep · 94 km away
  4. 2.98km WSW of Orcutt, CA · 32857 days ago · 6 km deep · 55 km away
  5. 2.910km ENE of Arroyo Grande, CA · 32854 days ago · 6 km deep · 90 km away
  6. 4.037km W of San Miguel Is., CA · 32841 days ago · 6 km deep · 47 km away
  7. 2.941km W of San Miguel Is., CA · 32841 days ago · 6 km deep · 45 km away
  8. 2.936km W of San Miguel Is., CA · 32834 days ago · 6 km deep · 43 km away
  9. 2.933km W of San Miguel Is., CA · 32834 days ago · 6 km deep · 48 km away

Before

  1. 3.029km NNE of San Miguel Is., CA · 32893 days ago · 6 km deep · 26 km away
  2. 3.734km NNW of San Miguel Is., CA · 32895 days ago · 6 km deep · 3 km away
  3. 3.134km NNW of San Miguel Is., CA · 32896 days ago · 6 km deep · 3 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci3363802. Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 7:32 PM UTC.