California earthquakes

M5.5 earthquake 22km N of Tehachapi, CA

A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck 22km N of Tehachapi, CA on Fri, Jul 25, 1952, 12:09 PM GMT-7 (19:09 UTC), 6 km (4 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.6 19km N of Tehachapi, 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: 5.5 (ml), moderate
Local time: Fri, Jul 25, 1952, 12:09 PM GMT-7
UTC: 1952-07-25 19:09:45 UTC
Depth: 6.0 km (3.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 35.332° N, 118.463° W
Region: California
Strongest shaking: VI, strong shaking
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Shaking

The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.

Strongest estimated: VI, strong shaking
Peak ground acceleration: 24.7% of gravity
Peak ground velocity: 2.6 cm/s
Map: Automatic

USGS ShakeMap: estimated shaking intensity around the epicenter — Estimated shaking intensity. Map: USGS ShakeMap.

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: 74°
Stations used: 11

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 2.5 and up: 129 in the 60 days after this one and 70 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 129.

Before

Earthquakes today California earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci3318460 (also filed as ushis1835, iscgem893196). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:00 AM UTC.