California earthquakes

M3.4 earthquake 13km NW of Grapevine, CA

A magnitude 3.4 earthquake struck 13km NW of Grapevine, CA on Mon, Dec 31, 1973, 6:00 AM PST (14:00 UTC), 6 km (4 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.0 17km NW of Grapevine, 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, local (Richter)), minor
Magnitude from
Southern California Seismic Network
Local time
UTC
1973-12-31 14:00:53 UTC
Depth
6.0 km (3.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter
35.037° N, 119.022° W
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

Magnitude estimates

Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.

Mag.ScaleComputed byNotes
3.38ML, local (Richter)Southern California Seismic NetworkPreferred · Final · ±0.136 · 10 stations
3.7mb, body-waveUSGS National Earthquake Information CenterReviewed

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 0.9 km horizontally, 31.6 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.14
Depth from
Operator assigned
Station coverage gap
150°
Stations used
17

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 40 in the 60 days after this one and 16 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

Earthquakes todayCalifornia earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci3318928 (also filed as usp00004rp). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 12:33 PM UTC.