M2.3 earthquake 21 km S of Avenal, California

A magnitude 2.3 earthquake struck 21 km S of Avenal, California on Tue, May 19, 1981, 12:38 PM PDT (19:38 UTC), 9 km (6 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.5 22 km W of Three Rocks, California. This one was a foreshock.

Map

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

Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.

Mag.	Scale	Computed by	Notes
2.25	Md, duration	Northern California Seismic System	Preferred · Final · ±0.16 · 18 stations
2.41	Mc	Southern California Seismic Network	Final · 8 stations

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

Reviewed by a seismologist.

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

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 54 in the 60 days after this one and 36 in the 30 days before it.

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1063803 (also filed as ci516296). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 7:02 AM UTC.