California earthquakes

M2.5 earthquake 21km S of Bodfish, CA

A magnitude 2.5 earthquake struck 21km S of Bodfish, CA on Wed, Sep 20, 1972, 4:48 PM PDT (23:48 UTC), 4 km (2 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M2.6 32km W of Coso Junction, CA. This one was a foreshock.

Bodfish forecastMore in California

Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude
2.5 (mh), micro
Local time
UTC
1972-09-20 23:48:06 UTC
Depth
3.6 km (2.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter
35.397° 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 1.8 km horizontally, 4.3 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.13
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
127°
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: 8 in the 60 days after this one and 10 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 2.632km W of Coso Junction, CA · 19719 days ago · 6 km deep · 76 km away
  2. 2.732km W of Coso Junction, CA · 19719 days ago · 6 km deep · 77 km away
  3. 1.74km NW of Agua Dulce, CA · 19712 days ago · 6 km deep · 98 km away
  4. 3.120km NNW of Tehachapi, CA · 19709 days ago · 1 km deep · 12 km away
  5. 1.77km ENE of Lebec, CA · 19671 days ago · 6 km deep · 65 km away
  6. 2.89km WSW of Palmdale, CA · 19670 days ago · 6 km deep · 97 km away
  7. 3.45km NNE of Arvin, CA · 19669 days ago · 6 km deep · 33 km away
  8. 3.05km E of Lamont, CA · 19669 days ago · 6 km deep · 37 km away

Before

  1. 2.415km NW of Castaic, CA · 19729 days ago · 1 km deep · 96 km away
  2. 3.015km SW of Little Lake, CA · 19734 days ago · 2 km deep · 65 km away
  3. 1.76km W of Agua Dulce, CA · 19740 days ago · 3 km deep · 100 km away
  4. 2.719km SW of Bodfish, CA · 19741 days ago · 0 km deep · 12 km away
  5. 2.727km NE of Arvin, CA · 19741 days ago · 0 km deep · 11 km away
  6. 2.421km NE of Arvin, CA · 19742 days ago · 6 km deep · 19 km away
  7. 2.918km SSW of Bodfish, CA · 19744 days ago · 0 km deep · 8 km away
  8. 2.418km SSW of Bodfish, CA · 19744 days ago · 1 km deep · 10 km away
  9. 3.620km SW of Bodfish, CA · 19744 days ago · 0 km deep · 12 km away
  10. 2.418km WNW of Searles Valley, CA · 19751 days ago · 0 km deep · 94 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci3321069. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:56 AM UTC.