M2.9 earthquake 16km SSW of Carpinteria, CA
A magnitude 2.9 earthquake struck 16km SSW of Carpinteria, CA on Thu, Sep 14, 1961, 8:12 AM GMT-7 (15:12 UTC), 9 km (6 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M2.9 21km SSE of Santa Barbara, CA. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 2.9 (ml), micro
- Local time
- UTC
- 1961-09-14 15:12:18 UTC
- Depth
- 8.9 km (5.6 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 34.276° N, 119.601° 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 2.1 km horizontally, 3.6 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.03
- Depth from
- From location
- Station coverage gap
- 156°
- Stations used
- 9
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 4 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 2.921km SSE of Santa Barbara, CA · 23749 days ago · 1 km deep · 6 km away
- 2.55km NNE of Malibu, CA · 23747 days ago · 6 km deep · 78 km away
- 2.74km SE of Agoura Hills, CA · 23731 days ago · 6 km deep · 81 km away
- 2.65km WSW of Simi Valley, CA · 23730 days ago · 6 km deep · 75 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayCalifornia earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci3344802. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:25 AM UTC.