California earthquakes

M3.5 earthquake 20km SSW of Ocotillo Wells, CA

A magnitude 3.5 earthquake struck 20km SSW of Ocotillo Wells, CA on Tue, Sep 19, 1961, 1:54 PM GMT-7 (20:54 UTC), 6 km (4 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.3 11km SW of Ocotillo Wells, 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), minor
Local time
UTC
1961-09-19 20:54:35 UTC
Depth
6.0 km (3.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter
32.987° N, 116.231° 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 3.3 km horizontally, 31.6 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.10
Depth from
Operator assigned
Station coverage gap
197°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
5

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 7 in the 60 days after this one and 33 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 4.311km SW of Ocotillo Wells, CA · 23744 days ago · 6 km deep · 10 km away
  2. 3.218km SW of Ocotillo Wells, CA · 23742 days ago · 6 km deep · 5 km away
  3. 3.319km SSW of Ocotillo Wells, CA · 23742 days ago · 6 km deep · 2 km away
  4. 3.711km NW of Ocotillo Wells, CA · 23741 days ago · 6 km deep · 25 km away
  5. 2.75km SE of Valle Vista, CA · 23734 days ago · 6 km deep · 100 km away
  6. 3.316km SSW of Progreso, B.C., MX · 23734 days ago · 6 km deep · 83 km away
  7. 3.111km WSW of Anza, CA · 23715 days ago · 6 km deep · 79 km away

Before

  1. 3.015km SW of Ocotillo Wells, CA · 23744 days ago · 6 km deep · 8 km away
  2. 3.514km SW of Ocotillo Wells, CA · 23745 days ago · 6 km deep · 7 km away
  3. 2.715km SW of Ocotillo Wells, CA · 23745 days ago · 6 km deep · 8 km away
  4. 3.317km SW of Ocotillo Wells, CA · 23745 days ago · 6 km deep · 4 km away
  5. 3.118km SSW of Ocotillo Wells, CA · 23747 days ago · 6 km deep · 2 km away
  6. 2.714km SSW of Ocotillo Wells, CA · 23747 days ago · 6 km deep · 6 km away
  7. 3.315km SSW of Ocotillo Wells, CA · 23747 days ago · 6 km deep · 5 km away
  8. 3.316km SW of Ocotillo Wells, CA · 23747 days ago · 6 km deep · 6 km away
  9. 3.222km S of Ocotillo Wells, CA · 23747 days ago · 6 km deep · 9 km away
  10. 3.021km S of Ocotillo Wells, CA · 23747 days ago · 6 km deep · 8 km away
  11. 4.418km SW of Ocotillo Wells, CA · 23747 days ago · 6 km deep · 3 km away
  12. 2.918km SSW of Ocotillo Wells, CA · 23747 days ago · 6 km deep · 3 km away
  13. 2.817km SW of Ocotillo Wells, CA · 23747 days ago · 6 km deep · 7 km away
  14. 2.816km SSW of Ocotillo Wells, CA · 23747 days ago · 6 km deep · 4 km away
  15. 3.620km SW of Ocotillo Wells, CA · 23748 days ago · 6 km deep · 4 km away
  16. 3.118km SW of Ocotillo Wells, CA · 23748 days ago · 6 km deep · 7 km away
  17. 2.812km WNW of Anza, CA · 23749 days ago · 6 km deep · 86 km away
  18. 3.76km S of Puebla, B.C., MX · 23751 days ago · 6 km deep · 98 km away
  19. 4.17km S of Puebla, B.C., MX · 23751 days ago · 4 km deep · 99 km away
  20. 4.84km WNW of Heber, CA · 23751 days ago · 6 km deep · 68 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci3344708. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:46 PM UTC.