M3.3 earthquake 10km NNE of Banning, CA

A magnitude 3.3 earthquake struck 10km NNE of Banning, CA on Fri, Sep 25, 1981, 7:13 AM PDT (14:13 UTC), 21 km (13 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.5 13km SSW of Twentynine Palms, CA. 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
3.28	ML, local (Richter)	Southern California Seismic Network	Preferred · Final · ±0.318 · 5 stations
3.3	ML, local (Richter)	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Reviewed

The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.

FELT AT BANNING.

From the USGS event page for ci523549. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.

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: 125 in the 60 days after this one and 86 in the 30 days before it.

The first 60 of 125.

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci523549 (also filed as usp0001g3d). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 1:59 PM UTC.