California earthquakes

M2.1 earthquake 16km SE of Arvin, CA

A magnitude 2.1 earthquake struck 16km SE of Arvin, CA on Sat, Jul 4, 1981, 11:21 PM PDT (06:21 UTC), 11 km (7 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M2.1 4km SSE of Elizabeth Lake, CA. This one was a foreshock.

Stallion Springs 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
2.1 (mc), micro
Local time
UTC
1981-07-05 06:21:01 UTC
Depth
11.4 km (7.1 mi), shallow
Epicenter
35.106° N, 118.701° 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 0.7 km horizontally, 0.9 km in depth
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
138°
Stations used
10

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 56 in the 60 days after this one and 29 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

Earthquakes todayCalifornia earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci518918. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:28 PM UTC.