California earthquakes

M1.6 earthquake 14km ENE of Big Pine, CA

A magnitude 1.6 earthquake struck 14km ENE of Big Pine, CA on Sun, Aug 16, 1981, 1:24 PM PDT (20:24 UTC), 4 km (2 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.9 11 km SE of Mammoth Lakes, California. This one was a foreshock.

Big Pine forecastMore in California

Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude
1.6 (mc), micro
Local time
UTC
1981-08-16 20:24:11 UTC
Depth
4.0 km (2.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
37.200° N, 118.135° 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.

Depth from
Operator assigned
Station coverage gap
99°
Stations used
0

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: at least 200 in the 60 days after this one and 72 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of at least 200.

Before

Earthquakes todayCalifornia earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci521320. Read Mon, Sep 28, 2026, 5:32 PM UTC.