California earthquakes

M3.1 earthquake 24km N of Tehachapi, CA

A magnitude 3.1 earthquake struck 24km N of Tehachapi, CA on Wed, Sep 15, 1971, 3:20 AM PDT (10:20 UTC), 6 km (4 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.5 13km ESE of Kernville, CA. This one was a foreshock.

Golden Hills forecastMore in California

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

Open the live map with earthquakes

The earthquake

Magnitude
3.1 (ml), minor
Local time
UTC
1971-09-15 10:20:10 UTC
Depth
6.0 km (3.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter
35.342° N, 118.492° 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 1.2 km horizontally, 31.6 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.04
Depth from
Operator assigned
Station coverage gap
125°
Stations used
12

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 12 in the 60 days after this one and 7 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 3.07km SW of Agua Dulce, CA · 20100 days ago · 15 km deep · 99 km away
  2. 3.218km SW of Little Lake, CA · 20094 days ago · 0 km deep · 67 km away
  3. 3.110km SE of Wofford Heights, CA · 20084 days ago · 0 km deep · 36 km away
  4. 2.98km NW of Grapevine, CA · 20073 days ago · 6 km deep · 59 km away
  5. 3.55km NW of Grapevine, CA · 20073 days ago · 6 km deep · 60 km away
  6. 3.513km ESE of Kernville, CA · 20064 days ago · 3 km deep · 42 km away
  7. 2.82km NNW of Frazier Park, CA · 20064 days ago · 0 km deep · 70 km away
  8. 3.06km SE of Wofford Heights, CA · 20062 days ago · 11 km deep · 37 km away
  9. 3.312km ESE of Wofford Heights, CA · 20056 days ago · 0 km deep · 38 km away
  10. 3.09km W of Agua Dulce, CA · 20051 days ago · 10 km deep · 93 km away
  11. 3.318km NNW of Buttonwillow, CA · 20048 days ago · 6 km deep · 100 km away
  12. 2.56km NE of Tehachapi, CA · 20044 days ago · 6 km deep · 20 km away

Before

  1. 3.023km N of Tehachapi, CA · 20102 days ago · 0 km deep · 3 km away
  2. 2.623km NNW of Tehachapi, CA · 20108 days ago · 1 km deep · 9 km away
  3. 2.622km ENE of Arvin, CA · 20108 days ago · 0 km deep · 11 km away
  4. 2.723km ENE of Arvin, CA · 20108 days ago · 1 km deep · 11 km away
  5. 2.424km SSW of Bodfish, CA · 20112 days ago · 1 km deep · 7 km away
  6. 2.825km N of Tehachapi, CA · 20124 days ago · 2 km deep · 2 km away
  7. 3.318km NW of Wasco, CA · 20131 days ago · 6 km deep · 98 km away

Earthquakes todayCalifornia earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci3322154. Read Sun, Sep 27, 2026, 9:21 PM UTC.