California earthquakes

M3.4 earthquake 18km NW of Tehachapi, CA

A magnitude 3.4 earthquake struck 18km NW of Tehachapi, CA on Sun, Aug 30, 1959, 9:51 AM GMT-7 (16:51 UTC), 6 km (4 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.1 23km WNW of Inyokern, 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
3.4 (ml), minor
Local time
UTC
1959-08-30 16:51:32 UTC
Depth
6.0 km (3.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter
35.244° N, 118.596° 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 1.4 km horizontally, 31.6 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.05
Depth from
Operator assigned
Station coverage gap
86°
Stations used
11

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 15 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 3.025km NE of Arvin, CA · 24486 days ago · 6 km deep · 12 km away
  2. 3.11km N of Little Lake, CA · 24478 days ago · 0 km deep · 100 km away
  3. 3.13km NW of Little Lake, CA · 24477 days ago · 0 km deep · 100 km away
  4. 3.021km NW of Tehachapi, CA · 24472 days ago · 6 km deep · 3 km away
  5. 3.014km SSW of Bodfish, CA · 24464 days ago · 21 km deep · 26 km away
  6. 2.924km SSW of Bodfish, CA · 24464 days ago · 6 km deep · 16 km away
  7. 2.926km NE of Arvin, CA · 24454 days ago · 0 km deep · 16 km away
  8. 3.326km SSW of Bodfish, CA · 24450 days ago · 0 km deep · 14 km away
  9. 2.615km W of Tehachapi, CA · 24450 days ago · 6 km deep · 13 km away
  10. 3.48km W of Tehachapi, CA · 24443 days ago · 6 km deep · 12 km away
  11. 4.123km WNW of Inyokern, CA · 24440 days ago · 5 km deep · 76 km away
  12. 3.122km NW of Inyokern, CA · 24440 days ago · 6 km deep · 78 km away
  13. 3.723km WNW of Inyokern, CA · 24440 days ago · 6 km deep · 76 km away
  14. 3.422km SSW of Little Lake, CA · 24440 days ago · 6 km deep · 78 km away
  15. 3.019km E of Kernville, CA · 24436 days ago · 1 km deep · 65 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci3297189. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:34 PM UTC.