California earthquakes

M2.3 earthquake 42km SW of Lompoc, CA

A magnitude 2.3 earthquake struck 42km SW of Lompoc, CA on Sat, Jan 13, 1979, 5:38 PM PST (01:38 UTC), 6 km (4 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.7 21 km SW of Los Osos, California. This one was a foreshock.

Lompoc 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
2.3 (Mh), micro
Magnitude from
Southern California Seismic Network
Local time
UTC
1979-01-14 01:38:09 UTC
Depth
6.0 km (3.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter
34.408° N, 120.826° 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 3.0 km horizontally, 31.6 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.30
Depth from
Operator assigned
Station coverage gap
285°, poorly surrounded by stations
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 9 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 2.38km SE of Goleta, CA · 17427 days ago · 10 km deep · 96 km away
  2. 2.330km NW of San Miguel Is., CA · 17422 days ago · 20 km deep · 29 km away
  3. 1.918km SSE of Isla Vista, CA · 17418 days ago · 0 km deep · 97 km away
  4. 2.09km SW of Santa Barbara, CA · 17401 days ago · 0 km deep · 98 km away
  5. 2.05km SSE of Santa Rosa Is., CA · 17392 days ago · 19 km deep · 88 km away
  6. 3.721 km SW of Los Osos, California · 17380 days ago · 5 km deep · 90 km away
  7. 2.433km WSW of Los Osos, CA · 17380 days ago · 6 km deep · 91 km away
  8. 2.89km SSE of Goleta, CA · 17379 days ago · 11 km deep · 97 km away

Before

  1. 2.15km SSE of Goleta, CA · 17433 days ago · 14 km deep · 93 km away
  2. 1.95km SE of Goleta, CA · 17447 days ago · 13 km deep · 95 km away
  3. 2.110km SW of Santa Barbara, CA · 17455 days ago · 7 km deep · 98 km away
  4. 1.613km SSW of Santa Barbara, CA · 17455 days ago · 3 km deep · 99 km away
  5. 1.85km SE of Goleta, CA · 17456 days ago · 14 km deep · 95 km away
  6. 2.66km SE of Santa Maria, CA · 17456 days ago · 0 km deep · 70 km away
  7. 2.210km SW of Santa Barbara, CA · 17457 days ago · 8 km deep · 97 km away
  8. 2.68km SSE of Goleta, CA · 17458 days ago · 11 km deep · 95 km away
  9. 1.96km WSW of Santa Barbara, CA · 17459 days ago · 7 km deep · 98 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci3345566. Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 9:19 AM UTC.