M1.6 earthquake 20 km SSE of Avenal, California

Magnitude

1.6 (md), micro

Local time

Mon, Mar 2, 1981, 12:16 AM PST

UTC

1981-03-02 08:16:56 UTC

Depth

12.3 km (7.6 mi), shallow

Epicenter

35.825° N, 120.083° W

Region

California

Tsunami flag

No

Status

Reviewed by a seismologist

Location uncertainty

About 2.6 km horizontally, 1.9 km in depth

Magnitude uncertainty

±0.18

Depth from

From location

Station coverage gap

258°, poorly surrounded by stations

Stations used

6

• Avenal, CaliforniaPopulation 13,301. Forecast20 kmSSE
• Visalia, CaliforniaPopulation 130,104. Forecast91 kmSW
• Los Angeles, CaliforniaPopulation 3,820,914. Forecast259 kmNW

After

1. 2.021 km S of Avenal, CaliforniaMon, Mar 2, 12:46 AM PST · 16640 days ago · 11 km deep · 4 km away
2. 2.120 km SSE of Avenal, CaliforniaMon, Mar 2, 12:48 AM PST · 16640 days ago · 13 km deep · 0 km away
3. 2.122 km NW of Parkfield, CaliforniaTue, Mar 10, 12:41 AM PST · 16632 days ago · 6 km deep · 53 km away
4. 1.723 km NNE of San Lucas, CaliforniaSun, Mar 15, 6:18 AM PST · 16627 days ago · 8 km deep · 89 km away
5. 2.31km ENE of Avila Beach, CAMon, Mar 16, 2:17 AM PST · 16626 days ago · 5 km deep · 92 km away
6. 2.66km WSW of Avila Beach, CAMon, Mar 16, 2:20 AM PST · 16626 days ago · -1 km deep · 98 km away
7. 2.123 km NE of San Ardo, CaliforniaThu, Mar 19, 3:51 PM PST · 16623 days ago · 7 km deep · 73 km away
8. 1.8Central CaliforniaMon, Mar 23, 1:49 PM PST · 16619 days ago · 11 km deep · 46 km away
9. 1.60 km SW of Parkfield, CaliforniaTue, Mar 24, 6:41 PM PST · 16618 days ago · 10 km deep · 33 km away
10. 2.14 km SW of Avenal, CaliforniaWed, Mar 25, 10:29 PM PST · 16616 days ago · 17 km deep · 18 km away
11. 2.03 km SW of Avenal, CaliforniaWed, Mar 25, 10:39 PM PST · 16616 days ago · 17 km deep · 18 km away
12. 1.732 km NE of San Lucas, CaliforniaFri, Mar 27, 1:21 AM PST · 16615 days ago · 8 km deep · 82 km away
13. 1.822 km NE of San Ardo, CaliforniaSat, Mar 28, 12:32 PM PST · 16614 days ago · 3 km deep · 72 km away
14. 1.65 km SSE of Parkfield, CaliforniaTue, Mar 31, 10:47 PM PST · 16610 days ago · 5 km deep · 29 km away
15. 1.98 km WSW of Templeton, CaliforniaSat, Apr 4, 12:51 AM PST · 16607 days ago · 4 km deep · 73 km away
16. 2.123 km ENE of San Lucas, CaliforniaSat, Apr 4, 2:42 AM PST · 16607 days ago · 6 km deep · 78 km away
17. 2.25 km SSE of Parkfield, CaliforniaSat, Apr 4, 9:57 AM PST · 16607 days ago · 5 km deep · 29 km away
18. 2.36 km NW of Parkfield, CaliforniaSat, Apr 4, 7:00 PM PST · 16607 days ago · 5 km deep · 38 km away
19. 2.311 km NNE of Avenal, CaliforniaSat, Apr 4, 11:50 PM PST · 16606 days ago · 0 km deep · 30 km away
20. 3.08 km NNE of Avenal, CaliforniaSun, Apr 5, 3:36 AM PST · 16606 days ago · 8 km deep · 28 km away
21. 1.811 km NNE of Avenal, CaliforniaSun, Apr 5, 4:11 AM PST · 16606 days ago · 0 km deep · 30 km away
22. 1.923 km NNE of San Lucas, CaliforniaSun, Apr 5, 11:31 AM PST · 16606 days ago · 9 km deep · 90 km away
23. 1.624 km NNE of San Lucas, CaliforniaSun, Apr 5, 11:33 AM PST · 16606 days ago · 9 km deep · 90 km away
24. 1.58 km N of Avenal, CaliforniaSun, Apr 5, 12:44 PM PST · 16606 days ago · 4 km deep · 28 km away
25. 1.521 km SSW of Kettleman City, CaliforniaMon, Apr 6, 9:33 PM PST · 16605 days ago · 2 km deep · 5 km away
26. 2.39km SSE of Kettleman City, CATue, Apr 7, 2:55 AM PST · 16604 days ago · 5 km deep · 20 km away
27. 2.07 km NW of Parkfield, CaliforniaWed, Apr 8, 9:06 PM PST · 16603 days ago · 10 km deep · 39 km away
28. 2.319km SSE of Kettleman City, CASun, Apr 12, 10:30 AM PST · 16599 days ago · 5 km deep · 20 km away
29. 1.622 km S of Avenal, CaliforniaSun, Apr 12, 11:10 PM PST · 16598 days ago · 9 km deep · 5 km away
30. 1.815 km NW of Parkfield, CaliforniaTue, Apr 14, 6:05 PM PST · 16597 days ago · 5 km deep · 46 km away
31. 1.521 km ESE of Shandon, CaliforniaFri, Apr 17, 5:15 PM PST · 16594 days ago · 11 km deep · 28 km away
32. 1.722 km ESE of Shandon, CaliforniaFri, Apr 17, 5:53 PM PST · 16594 days ago · 11 km deep · 28 km away
33. 1.623 km ENE of King City, CaliforniaFri, Apr 17, 11:34 PM PST · 16593 days ago · 9 km deep · 92 km away
34. 1.813 km W of Oak Shores, CaliforniaTue, Apr 21, 4:55 PM PST · 16590 days ago · 5 km deep · 94 km away
35. 1.523 km ENE of San Ardo, CaliforniaWed, Apr 22, 2:00 AM PST · 16589 days ago · 7 km deep · 62 km away
36. 1.82 km ESE of San Ardo, CaliforniaWed, Apr 22, 7:13 PM PST · 16589 days ago · 11 km deep · 74 km away
37. 2.426 km NE of King City, CaliforniaFri, Apr 24, 7:13 AM PST · 16587 days ago · 6 km deep · 99 km away
38. 1.626 km NE of King City, CaliforniaFri, Apr 24, 8:38 AM PST · 16587 days ago · 4 km deep · 99 km away
39. 1.613 km SE of Parkfield, CaliforniaFri, Apr 24, 2:37 PM PST · 16587 days ago · 4 km deep · 23 km away
40. 1.912 km NE of Coalinga, CaliforniaFri, Apr 24, 6:26 PM PST · 16587 days ago · 8 km deep · 46 km away
41. 3.112 km W of Oak Shores, CaliforniaSat, Apr 25, 6:35 AM PST · 16586 days ago · 5 km deep · 94 km away
42. 1.730 km NE of San Lucas, CaliforniaSat, Apr 25, 9:33 AM PST · 16586 days ago · 9 km deep · 84 km away
43. 2.023 km NW of Parkfield, CaliforniaSat, Apr 25, 2:08 PM PST · 16586 days ago · 3 km deep · 54 km away
44. 2.110 km W of Huron, CaliforniaTue, Apr 28, 9:28 PM PDT · 16583 days ago · 8 km deep · 44 km away
45. 2.012km NNE of Taft, CAThu, Apr 30, 1:13 AM PDT · 16581 days ago · 14 km deep · 89 km away
46. 1.614 km SE of Parkfield, CaliforniaThu, Apr 30, 5:19 AM PDT · 16581 days ago · 9 km deep · 24 km away

Before

1. 2.79 km W of Huron, CaliforniaSun, Mar 1, 12:38 PM PST · 16641 days ago · 5 km deep · 42 km away
2. 2.723 km NE of San Ardo, CaliforniaSun, Mar 1, 3:40 AM PST · 16641 days ago · 8 km deep · 70 km away
3. 2.420 km SSE of Avenal, CaliforniaThu, Feb 26, 5:30 PM PST · 16644 days ago · 12 km deep · 1 km away
4. 2.029km S of Kettleman City, CAThu, Feb 26, 1:59 AM PST · 16644 days ago · 5 km deep · 13 km away
5. 2.032km E of Cholame, CAWed, Feb 25, 6:18 PM PST · 16645 days ago · 5 km deep · 19 km away
6. 2.621 km SSE of Avenal, CaliforniaWed, Feb 25, 6:15 PM PST · 16645 days ago · 12 km deep · 4 km away
7. 1.914km NNE of Taft, CAWed, Feb 25, 2:45 PM PST · 16645 days ago · 5 km deep · 90 km away
8. 1.714km NNE of Taft, CAWed, Feb 25, 10:25 AM PST · 16645 days ago · 8 km deep · 90 km away
9. 3.617 km NW of Parkfield, CaliforniaWed, Feb 25, 12:45 AM PST · 16645 days ago · 5 km deep · 49 km away
10. 1.810 km NE of Coalinga, CaliforniaWed, Feb 25, 12:15 AM PST · 16645 days ago · 11 km deep · 46 km away
11. 3.04 km WSW of Coalinga, CaliforniaMon, Feb 23, 5:07 AM PST · 16647 days ago · 8 km deep · 43 km away
12. 3.22 km SSW of Edna, CaliforniaSun, Feb 22, 10:12 PM PST · 16647 days ago · 0 km deep · 87 km away
13. 1.66 km NW of Parkfield, CaliforniaSun, Feb 22, 9:06 AM PST · 16648 days ago · 10 km deep · 38 km away
14. 1.83 km N of Avenal, CaliforniaSat, Feb 21, 6:29 PM PST · 16649 days ago · 14 km deep · 24 km away
15. 1.820 km S of Avenal, CaliforniaThu, Feb 19, 8:46 PM PST · 16651 days ago · 11 km deep · 2 km away
16. 1.919 km S of Avenal, CaliforniaThu, Feb 19, 6:24 PM PST · 16651 days ago · 10 km deep · 4 km away
17. 2.822km SSE of Kettleman City, CAThu, Feb 19, 6:01 PM PST · 16651 days ago · 5 km deep · 18 km away
18. 2.110 km WSW of Avenal, CaliforniaWed, Feb 18, 3:17 AM PST · 16652 days ago · 15 km deep · 19 km away
19. 2.121 km S of Avenal, CaliforniaWed, Feb 18, 1:50 AM PST · 16652 days ago · 8 km deep · 8 km away
20. 1.88 km WSW of Avenal, CaliforniaTue, Feb 17, 7:51 PM PST · 16653 days ago · 13 km deep · 19 km away

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1060906 (also filed as ci531297). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 5:24 PM UTC.