M3.1 earthquake 23km SW of Ocotillo, CA
A magnitude 3.1 earthquake struck 23km SW of Ocotillo, CA on Tue, Aug 22, 1939, 4:23 AM GMT-8 (12:23 UTC), 6 km (4 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M3.8 73km SW of Alberto Oviedo Mota, B.C., MX. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 3.1 (ml), minor
- Local time
- UTC
- 1939-08-22 12:23:48 UTC
- Depth
- 6.0 km (3.7 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 32.573° N, 116.147° 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 3.8 km horizontally, 31.6 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.12
- Depth from
- Operator assigned
- Station coverage gap
- 323°, 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: 3 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 2.729km ESE of Campo, CA · 31808 days ago · 6 km deep · 8 km away
- 3.016km S of Ocotillo, CA · 31803 days ago · 6 km deep · 14 km away
- 3.873km SW of Alberto Oviedo Mota, B.C., MX · 31773 days ago · 6 km deep · 97 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayCalifornia earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci3365080. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 11:19 AM UTC.