California earthquakes

M1.9 earthquake 2km S of Montecito, CA

A magnitude 1.9 earthquake struck 2km S of Montecito, CA on Sun, Sep 10, 1978, 5:03 AM PDT (12:03 UTC), 6 km (4 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.5 6km SW of Santa Barbara, CA. This one was a foreshock.

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude
1.9 (mh), micro
Local time
UTC
1978-09-10 12:03:25 UTC
Depth
6.0 km (3.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter
34.415° N, 119.633° 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 27.4 km horizontally, 31.6 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.17
Depth from
Operator assigned
Station coverage gap
359°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
2

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 57 in the 60 days after this one and 197 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci9683238. Read Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 11:28 PM UTC.