California earthquakes

M3.0 earthquake 14km NW of Tehachapi, CA

A magnitude 3.0 earthquake struck 14km NW of Tehachapi, CA on Wed, May 20, 1959, 7:13 PM GMT-7 (02:13 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
3.0 (ML, local (Richter)), minor
Magnitude from
Southern California Seismic Network
Local time
UTC
1959-05-21 02:13:56 UTC
Depth
6.0 km (3.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter
35.232° N, 118.539° 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 0.9 km horizontally, 31.6 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.10
Depth from
Operator assigned
Station coverage gap
96°
Stations used
7

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 10 in the 60 days after this one and 5 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 2.814km NW of Tehachapi, CA · 24605 days ago · 6 km deep · 0 km away
  2. 3.05km ESE of Bakersfield, CA · 24594 days ago · 6 km deep · 42 km away
  3. 3.624km NNE of Arvin, CA · 24576 days ago · 6 km deep · 22 km away
  4. 2.817km NNE of Tehachapi, CA · 24575 days ago · 6 km deep · 16 km away
  5. 3.023km SW of Bodfish, CA · 24570 days ago · 1 km deep · 27 km away
  6. 3.019km WSW of Bodfish, CA · 24569 days ago · 0 km deep · 32 km away
  7. 3.016km WSW of Lamont, CA · 24564 days ago · 6 km deep · 48 km away
  8. 3.418km SSW of Bakersfield, CA · 24564 days ago · 6 km deep · 55 km away
  9. 4.618km WSW of Lamont, CA · 24564 days ago · 6 km deep · 50 km away
  10. 2.826km SSW of Bodfish, CA · 24561 days ago · 6 km deep · 16 km away

Before

  1. 3.520km NW of Tehachapi, CA · 24606 days ago · 6 km deep · 6 km away
  2. 2.915km NNW of Grapevine, CA · 24626 days ago · 0 km deep · 47 km away
  3. 3.422km NE of Maricopa, CA · 24627 days ago · 6 km deep · 61 km away
  4. 3.115km ENE of Arvin, CA · 24629 days ago · 6 km deep · 12 km away
  5. 2.914km ENE of Arvin, CA · 24629 days ago · 6 km deep · 13 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci3297060. Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 7:20 PM UTC.