California earthquakes

M1.6 earthquake 23km NNW of Tehachapi, CA

A magnitude 1.6 earthquake struck 23km NNW of Tehachapi, CA on Mon, May 28, 1979, 2:21 PM PDT (21:21 UTC), 0 km (0 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.5 18km NW of Inyokern, CA. This one was a foreshock.

Golden Hills forecastMore in California

Map

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

Open the live map with earthquakes

The earthquake

Magnitude
1.6 (mh), micro
Local time
UTC
1979-05-28 21:21:16 UTC
Depth
0.0 km (0.0 mi), shallow
Epicenter
35.334° N, 118.499° 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 0.9 km horizontally, 1.4 km in depth
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
136°
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: 61 in the 60 days after this one and 57 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 61.

Before

Earthquakes todayCalifornia earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci3349417. Read Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 5:30 AM UTC.