California earthquakes

M1.5 earthquake 24 km WNW of Samoa, California

A magnitude 1.5 earthquake struck 24 km WNW of Samoa, California on Mon, Jul 23, 1979, 2:48 AM PDT (09:48 UTC), 20 km (12 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.7 69 km W of Indianola, California. 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
1.5 (Md, duration), micro
Magnitude from
Northern California Seismic System
Local time
UTC
1979-07-23 09:48:33 UTC
Depth
19.7 km (12.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter
40.929° N, 124.432° 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 10.4 km horizontally, 1.4 km in depth
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
290°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
4

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 85 in the 60 days after this one and 54 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 85.

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1046719. Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 8:12 AM UTC.