M2.5 earthquake 9km SSE of Goleta, CA
A magnitude 2.5 earthquake struck 9km SSE of Goleta, CA on Sun, Sep 17, 1978, 6:38 PM PDT (01:38 UTC), 12 km (7 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M3.5 6km SW of Santa Barbara, CA. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 2.5 (Mh), micro
- Magnitude from
- Southern California Seismic Network
- Local time
- UTC
- 1978-09-18 01:38:30 UTC
- Depth
- 11.6 km (7.2 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 34.365° N, 119.782° W
- Region
- California
- 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 0.8 km horizontally, 1.0 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.27
- Depth from
- From location
- Station coverage gap
- 75°
- Stations used
- 19
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 55 in the 60 days after this one and 99 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 1.56km W of Grapevine, CA · 17547 days ago · 11 km deep · 97 km away
- 1.914km SSE of Isla Vista, CA · 17546 days ago · 6 km deep · 7 km away
- 2.26km ENE of Orcutt, CA · 17546 days ago · 0 km deep · 81 km away
- 2.38km S of Santa Barbara, CA · 17546 days ago · 10 km deep · 7 km away
- 1.713km SSW of Santa Barbara, CA · 17544 days ago · 6 km deep · 7 km away
- 1.71km ENE of Isla Vista, CA · 17544 days ago · 22 km deep · 9 km away
- 1.712km SSW of Santa Barbara, CA · 17543 days ago · 3 km deep · 5 km away
- 2.011km SSW of Santa Barbara, CA · 17542 days ago · 0 km deep · 6 km away
- 3.56km SW of Santa Barbara, CA · 17542 days ago · 12 km deep · 4 km away
- 1.89km SE of Isla Vista, CA · 17540 days ago · 6 km deep · 2 km away
- 2.07km SSW of Santa Barbara, CA · 17537 days ago · 10 km deep · 4 km away
- 1.77km SE of Goleta, CA · 17537 days ago · 11 km deep · 2 km away
- 1.95km SE of Isla Vista, CA · 17536 days ago · 14 km deep · 4 km away
- 1.710km SE of Isla Vista, CA · 17536 days ago · 10 km deep · 1 km away
- 2.614km NW of Santa Rosa Is., CA · 17532 days ago · 10 km deep · 52 km away
- 2.830km SE of Santa Cruz Is. (E end), CA · 17532 days ago · 8 km deep · 73 km away
- 2.312km ESE of Maricopa, CA · 17531 days ago · 5 km deep · 87 km away
- 1.87km SE of Isla Vista, CA · 17529 days ago · 11 km deep · 2 km away
- 2.410km SE of Isla Vista, CA · 17528 days ago · 3 km deep · 3 km away
- 1.87km WSW of Santa Barbara, CA · 17526 days ago · 11 km deep · 3 km away
- 2.25km SSE of Santa Maria, CA · 17525 days ago · 1 km deep · 84 km away
- 2.110km SSW of Santa Barbara, CA · 17525 days ago · 4 km deep · 4 km away
- 1.88km SW of Santa Barbara, CA · 17523 days ago · 11 km deep · 1 km away
- 1.624km SW of Maricopa, CA · 17522 days ago · 14 km deep · 62 km away
- 1.55km SE of Goleta, CA · 17522 days ago · 2 km deep · 4 km away
- 1.88km SE of Isla Vista, CA · 17518 days ago · 9 km deep · 1 km away
- 1.77km WSW of Santa Barbara, CA · 17516 days ago · 12 km deep · 3 km away
- 2.128km S of Santa Rosa Is., CA · 17516 days ago · 6 km deep · 81 km away
- 3.419km SW of Malibu, CA · 17515 days ago · 11 km deep · 95 km away
- 1.520km SW of Malibu, CA · 17515 days ago · 6 km deep · 92 km away
- 2.43km S of Frazier Park, CA · 17513 days ago · 11 km deep · 91 km away
- 1.510km SE of Isla Vista, CA · 17510 days ago · 9 km deep · 1 km away
- 2.514km WNW of Grapevine, CA · 17509 days ago · 3 km deep · 95 km away
- 1.79km SW of Grapevine, CA · 17507 days ago · 15 km deep · 92 km away
- 2.08km SE of Goleta, CA · 17504 days ago · 11 km deep · 1 km away
- 2.07km SE of Isla Vista, CA · 17502 days ago · 10 km deep · 2 km away
- 2.98km SSE of Santa Barbara, CA · 17497 days ago · 12 km deep · 10 km away
- 2.48km WSW of Ojai, CA · 17496 days ago · 8 km deep · 42 km away
- 2.110km WSW of Ojai, CA · 17496 days ago · 11 km deep · 41 km away
- 1.96km ESE of Goleta, CA · 17495 days ago · 13 km deep · 5 km away
- 1.711km WSW of Ojai, CA · 17495 days ago · 15 km deep · 39 km away
- 1.76km SSE of Goleta, CA · 17495 days ago · 15 km deep · 3 km away
- 2.26km SE of Isla Vista, CA · 17494 days ago · 10 km deep · 4 km away
- 1.710km NNE of Pine Mountain Club, CA · 17493 days ago · 15 km deep · 88 km away
- 2.624km SE of Santa Cruz Is. (NW end), CA · 17492 days ago · 13 km deep · 50 km away
- 2.11km WNW of Santa Barbara, CA · 17491 days ago · 17 km deep · 9 km away
- 3.20km WSW of Santa Barbara, CA · 17491 days ago · 17 km deep · 9 km away
- 1.52km NW of Santa Barbara, CA · 17491 days ago · 13 km deep · 9 km away
- 3.21km SSE of Santa Barbara, CA · 17491 days ago · 16 km deep · 9 km away
- 2.219km NE of Santa Cruz Is. (NW end), CA · 17491 days ago · 17 km deep · 22 km away
- 2.46km SE of Isla Vista, CA · 17490 days ago · 7 km deep · 3 km away
- 2.38km SSW of Santa Barbara, CA · 17488 days ago · 10 km deep · 5 km away
- 1.813km SE of Isla Vista, CA · 17488 days ago · 10 km deep · 5 km away
- 2.322km SE of Santa Rosa Is., CA · 17488 days ago · 6 km deep · 63 km away
- 1.86km SE of Isla Vista, CA · 17488 days ago · 6 km deep · 4 km away
Before
- 2.812km S of Santa Barbara, CA · 17550 days ago · 12 km deep · 9 km away
- 1.69km SE of Isla Vista, CA · 17550 days ago · 4 km deep · 3 km away
- 1.812km SSW of Santa Barbara, CA · 17550 days ago · 0 km deep · 5 km away
- 2.08km SSW of Santa Barbara, CA · 17550 days ago · 11 km deep · 4 km away
- 1.916km WNW of Malibu, CA · 17552 days ago · 11 km deep · 82 km away
- 2.214km NW of Santa Cruz Is. (E end), CA · 17552 days ago · 20 km deep · 31 km away
- 1.817km S of Santa Barbara, CA · 17553 days ago · 6 km deep · 15 km away
- 3.56km WSW of Santa Barbara, CA · 17553 days ago · 15 km deep · 4 km away
- 1.69km SSW of Malibu, CA · 17554 days ago · 9 km deep · 98 km away
- 1.610km SSE of Isla Vista, CA · 17554 days ago · 0 km deep · 6 km away
- 2.17km SSE of Goleta, CA · 17555 days ago · 11 km deep · 2 km away
- 2.56km SE of Goleta, CA · 17555 days ago · 11 km deep · 4 km away
- 1.92km S of Montecito, CA · 17555 days ago · 6 km deep · 15 km away
- 1.926km SSE of Santa Cruz Is. (E end), CA · 17556 days ago · 6 km deep · 71 km away
- 2.127km SSE of Santa Cruz Is. (E end), CA · 17557 days ago · 6 km deep · 71 km away
- 1.69km SW of Santa Barbara, CA · 17558 days ago · 16 km deep · 1 km away
- 2.77km SSW of Santa Barbara, CA · 17558 days ago · 12 km deep · 4 km away
- 1.714km W of Ventura, CA · 17558 days ago · 0 km deep · 39 km away
- 2.16km S of Santa Barbara, CA · 17559 days ago · 11 km deep · 7 km away
- 1.76km SSE of Goleta, CA · 17559 days ago · 13 km deep · 3 km away
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Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci3313451. Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 9:38 PM UTC.