California earthquakes

M3.6 earthquake 4 km SSW of Bishop, California

A magnitude 3.6 earthquake struck 4 km SSW of Bishop, California on Tue, Mar 10, 1981, 3:29 PM PST (23:29 UTC), -2 km (-1 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.5 12 km NNW of Benton, California. This one was a foreshock.

Bishop 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: Tue, Mar 10, 1981, 3:29 PM PST
UTC: 1981-03-10 23:29:27 UTC
Depth: -2.2 km (-1.4 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 37.325° N, 118.414° 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 0.5 km horizontally, 1.1 km in depth
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 108°
Stations used: 20

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 201 in the 60 days after this one and 72 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of at least 201.

Before

Earthquakes today California earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1061229 (also filed as usp0001cmz, ci531041). Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 3:40 AM UTC.