California earthquakes

M2.8 earthquake 2km SSE of Fountain Valley, CA

A magnitude 2.8 earthquake struck 2km SSE of Fountain Valley, CA on Wed, Mar 15, 1939, 11:38 AM GMT-8 (19:38 UTC), 6 km (4 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.7 3km E of Running Springs, 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
2.8 (ml), micro
Local time
UTC
1939-03-15 19:38:58 UTC
Depth
6.0 km (3.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter
33.694° N, 117.944° 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 1.1 km horizontally, 31.6 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.13
Depth from
Operator assigned
Station coverage gap
194°, 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: 17 in the 60 days after this one and 4 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 2.34km NNW of Signal Hill, CA · 31967 days ago · 6 km deep · 27 km away
  2. 2.71km SSE of Moreno Valley, CA · 31955 days ago · 14 km deep · 71 km away
  3. 2.748km WSW of Encinitas, CA · 31950 days ago · 6 km deep · 87 km away
  4. 2.01km W of Lomita, CA · 31950 days ago · 6 km deep · 37 km away
  5. 3.73km E of Running Springs, CA · 31949 days ago · 6 km deep · 98 km away
  6. 2.43km ESE of Running Springs, CA · 31947 days ago · 6 km deep · 98 km away
  7. 2.912km NE of Trabuco Canyon, CA · 31945 days ago · 6 km deep · 40 km away
  8. 2.630km WSW of Rancho Palos Verdes, CA · 31943 days ago · 6 km deep · 69 km away
  9. 2.12km WNW of Lomita, CA · 31939 days ago · 6 km deep · 38 km away
  10. 2.514km SW of Huntington Beach, CA · 31935 days ago · 6 km deep · 18 km away
  11. 2.722km WSW of Dana Point, CA · 31933 days ago · 6 km deep · 36 km away
  12. 2.81km N of Lakewood, CA · 31927 days ago · 6 km deep · 25 km away
  13. 2.44km S of Highland, CA · 31917 days ago · 6 km deep · 81 km away
  14. 2.21km SW of Placentia, CA · 31915 days ago · 6 km deep · 20 km away
  15. 3.118km NNW of San Clemente Is. (SE tip), CA · 31911 days ago · 6 km deep · 90 km away
  16. 2.14km SE of Los Alamitos, CA · 31910 days ago · 6 km deep · 13 km away
  17. 2.510km SW of Rancho Palos Verdes, CA · 31908 days ago · 6 km deep · 49 km away

Before

  1. 2.12km SE of Huntington Beach, CA · 31972 days ago · 6 km deep · 4 km away
  2. 2.41km WSW of Cudahy, CA · 31973 days ago · 6 km deep · 37 km away
  3. 1.913km NE of Sunland, CA · 31995 days ago · 6 km deep · 77 km away
  4. 2.57km N of Rancho Cucamonga, CA · 31997 days ago · 14 km deep · 64 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci3364921. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:24 AM UTC.