California earthquakes

M2.6 earthquake 21 km SSE of Avenal, California

A magnitude 2.6 earthquake struck 21 km SSE of Avenal, California on Wed, Feb 25, 1981, 6:15 PM PST (02:15 UTC), 12 km (8 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.1 12 km W of Oak Shores, California. This one was a foreshock.

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude
2.6 (md), micro
Local time
UTC
1981-02-26 02:15:36 UTC
Depth
12.3 km (7.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter
35.828° N, 120.041° 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 1.2 km horizontally, 0.6 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.14
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
255°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
24

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 46 in the 60 days after this one and 52 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1060762 (also filed as ci505836). Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 8:47 PM UTC.