California earthquakes

M3.6 earthquake 12 km NNW of Benton, California

A magnitude 3.6 earthquake struck 12 km NNW of Benton, California on Wed, May 6, 1981, 7:18 PM PDT (02:18 UTC), 9 km (5 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.7 12 km SE of Mammoth Lakes, California. This one was a foreshock.

Mammoth Lakes forecast More in California

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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: 3.6 (ml), minor
Local time: Wed, May 6, 1981, 7:18 PM PDT
UTC: 1981-05-07 02:18:27 UTC
Depth: 8.6 km (5.4 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 37.924° N, 118.535° W
Region: California
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 0.3 km horizontally, 1.3 km in depth
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 119°
Stations used: 9

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 200 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 200.

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1063373 (also filed as ci515570, usp0001djn). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 3:33 PM UTC.