California earthquakes

M4.5 earthquake 2 km SE of Aromas, California

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 2 km SE of Aromas, California on Wed, Jan 7, 1981, 3:42 AM PST (11:42 UTC), 9 km (5 mi) below the surface.

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 4.5 (ml), light
Local time: Wed, Jan 7, 1981, 3:42 AM PST
UTC: 1981-01-07 11:42:33 UTC
Depth: 8.8 km (5.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 36.873° N, 121.616° 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 0.2 km horizontally, 0.3 km in depth
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 60°
Stations used: 76

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 183 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 183.

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1058966 (also filed as ushis3694, ci12250199, usp0001bmm). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:02 AM UTC.