M3.2 earthquake 12km W of Lompoc, CA
A magnitude 3.2 earthquake struck 12km W of Lompoc, CA on Tue, Sep 5, 1939, 5:53 PM GMT-8 (01:53 UTC), 6 km (4 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M3.2 21km SSW of Cambria, CA. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 3.2 (ml), minor
- Local time
- UTC
- 1939-09-06 01:53:40 UTC
- Depth
- 6.0 km (3.7 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 34.647° N, 120.584° W
- Region
- California
- 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 12.2 km horizontally, 31.6 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.12
- Depth from
- Operator assigned
- Station coverage gap
- 355°, 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: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.
After
Earthquakes todayCalifornia earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci3365093. Read Wed, Sep 23, 2026, 2:07 PM UTC.