California earthquakes

M2.5 earthquake 3 km S of Topaz, California

A magnitude 2.5 earthquake struck 3 km S of Topaz, California on Fri, May 18, 1979, 2:52 AM PDT (09:52 UTC), 4 km (3 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.3 18 km ESE of Hawthorne, Nevada. 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
2.5 (md), micro
Local time
UTC
1979-05-18 09:52:16 UTC
Depth
4.4 km (2.8 mi), shallow
Epicenter
38.592° N, 119.522° 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, 7.0 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.39
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
94°
Stations used
26

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 13 in the 60 days after this one and 3 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 1.97 km SSW of Markleeville, California · 17293 days ago · 3 km deep · 27 km away
  2. 1.93 km SE of Mesa Vista, California · 17278 days ago · 3 km deep · 31 km away
  3. 4.318 km ESE of Hawthorne, Nevada · 17276 days ago · 12 km deep · 97 km away
  4. 3.3California-Nevada border region · 17258 days ago · 17 km deep · 38 km away
  5. 2.311 km W of Bridgeport, California · 17258 days ago · 3 km deep · 39 km away
  6. 2.02 km NE of Markleeville, CA · 17254 days ago · 3 km deep · 25 km away
  7. 2.3California-Nevada border region · 17254 days ago · 6 km deep · 28 km away
  8. 3.320 km E of Mono City, California · 17253 days ago · 11 km deep · 78 km away
  9. 1.56 km ESE of Tahoma, California · 17252 days ago · 0 km deep · 68 km away
  10. 1.811 km W of Topaz, California · 17251 days ago · 4 km deep · 11 km away
  11. 2.32 km WNW of Alpine Village, California · 17247 days ago · 14 km deep · 35 km away
  12. 2.124 km E of Mono City, California · 17238 days ago · 6 km deep · 83 km away
  13. 2.68 km ENE of Mono City, California · 17238 days ago · 4 km deep · 71 km away

Before

  1. 2.120 km ENE of Mono City, California · 17310 days ago · 9 km deep · 77 km away
  2. 3.03 km SE of Topaz, California · 17310 days ago · 7 km deep · 3 km away
  3. 1.61 km NNE of Alpine Village, California · 17319 days ago · 3 km deep · 33 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1045845. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:35 PM UTC.