California earthquakes

M3.7 earthquake 7 km SSE of Three Rocks, California

A magnitude 3.7 earthquake struck 7 km SSE of Three Rocks, California on Sun, Sep 12, 1976, 4:35 AM PDT (11:35 UTC), 7 km (5 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.8 28 km SW of South Dos Palos, California. 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
3.7 (Md, duration), minor
Magnitude from
Northern California Seismic System
Local time
UTC
1976-09-12 11:35:27 UTC
Depth
7.5 km (4.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter
36.446° N, 120.357° 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
3.67Md, durationNorthern California Seismic SystemPreferred · Final · ±0.07 · 4 stations
2.98MhSouthern California Seismic NetworkFinal · 8 stations

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 1.0 km horizontally, 1.7 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.07
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
177°
Stations used
22

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 132 in the 60 days after this one and 91 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 132.

Before

Earthquakes todayCalifornia earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1031496 (also filed as ci146797). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 3:10 PM UTC.