California earthquakes

M3.5 earthquake 20km NW of Tehachapi, CA

A magnitude 3.5 earthquake struck 20km NW of Tehachapi, CA on Wed, May 20, 1959, 12:58 AM GMT-7 (07:58 UTC), 6 km (4 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.6 18km WSW of Lamont, 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
3.5 (ML, local (Richter)), minor
Magnitude from
Southern California Seismic Network
Local time
UTC
1959-05-20 07:58:45 UTC
Depth
6.0 km (3.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter
35.270° N, 118.590° 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 1.8 km horizontally, 31.6 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.12
Depth from
Operator assigned
Station coverage gap
86°
Stations used
8

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 11 in the 60 days after this one and 5 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 3.014km NW of Tehachapi, CA · 24608 days ago · 6 km deep · 6 km away
  2. 2.814km NW of Tehachapi, CA · 24608 days ago · 6 km deep · 6 km away
  3. 3.05km ESE of Bakersfield, CA · 24597 days ago · 6 km deep · 37 km away
  4. 3.624km NNE of Arvin, CA · 24578 days ago · 6 km deep · 16 km away
  5. 2.817km NNE of Tehachapi, CA · 24578 days ago · 6 km deep · 21 km away
  6. 3.023km SW of Bodfish, CA · 24572 days ago · 1 km deep · 22 km away
  7. 3.019km WSW of Bodfish, CA · 24571 days ago · 0 km deep · 26 km away
  8. 3.016km WSW of Lamont, CA · 24567 days ago · 6 km deep · 44 km away
  9. 3.418km SSW of Bakersfield, CA · 24567 days ago · 6 km deep · 50 km away
  10. 4.618km WSW of Lamont, CA · 24566 days ago · 6 km deep · 46 km away
  11. 2.826km SSW of Bodfish, CA · 24564 days ago · 6 km deep · 11 km away

Before

  1. 2.915km NNW of Grapevine, CA · 24628 days ago · 0 km deep · 44 km away
  2. 3.422km NE of Maricopa, CA · 24629 days ago · 6 km deep · 57 km away
  3. 3.115km ENE of Arvin, CA · 24631 days ago · 6 km deep · 8 km away
  4. 2.914km ENE of Arvin, CA · 24631 days ago · 6 km deep · 9 km away
  5. 2.44km NNE of Piru, CA · 24639 days ago · 6 km deep · 93 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci3297058. Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 9:44 AM UTC.