California earthquakes

M1.9 earthquake 18 km SSW of Three Rocks, California

A magnitude 1.9 earthquake struck 18 km SSW of Three Rocks, California on Tue, Sep 18, 1979, 9:20 PM PDT (04:20 UTC), 25 km (16 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.6 5 km ENE of Chowchilla, California. This one was a foreshock.

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Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 1.9 (Md, duration), micro
Magnitude from: Northern California Seismic System
Local time: Tue, Sep 18, 1979, 9:20 PM PDT
UTC: 1979-09-19 04:20:45 UTC
Depth: 25.4 km (15.8 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 36.336° N, 120.435° 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 2.8 km horizontally, 2.6 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.20
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 257°, 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: 83 in the 60 days after this one and 48 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 83.

Before

Earthquakes today California earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1047903. Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 2:33 PM UTC.