California earthquakes

M2.3 earthquake 2 km ESE of Pacifica, California

A magnitude 2.3 earthquake struck 2 km ESE of Pacifica, California on Mon, Apr 21, 1980, 3:31 AM PST (11:31 UTC), 9 km (6 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.1 13 km ESE of Alum Rock, 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
2.3 (md), micro
Local time
UTC
1980-04-21 11:31:34 UTC
Depth
9.4 km (5.8 mi), shallow
Epicenter
37.601° N, 122.462° 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 0.5 km horizontally, 0.6 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.05
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
101°
Stations used
28

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 86 in the 60 days after this one and 63 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 86.

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1052326. Read Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 11:01 PM UTC.