California earthquakes

M1.6 earthquake 11 km E of Blackhawk, California

A magnitude 1.6 earthquake struck 11 km E of Blackhawk, California on Fri, May 15, 1981, 2:03 PM PDT (21:03 UTC), 11 km (7 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M1.6 3 km NNE of Union City, California. This one was a foreshock.

Blackhawk 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 (md), micro
Local time
UTC
1981-05-15 21:03:27 UTC
Depth
10.5 km (6.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
37.833° N, 121.776° 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.

Location uncertainty
About 0.4 km horizontally, 0.6 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.05
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
105°
Stations used
17

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 83 in the 60 days after this one and 27 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 1.63 km NNE of Union City, California · 16566 days ago · 7 km deep · 30 km away
  2. 1.913 km N of Morgan Hill, California · 16566 days ago · 3 km deep · 66 km away
  3. 1.910 km SW of Brentwood, California · 16566 days ago · 19 km deep · 2 km away
  4. 1.710 km SSW of Brentwood, California · 16566 days ago · 21 km deep · 3 km away
  5. 1.811 km SW of Brentwood, California · 16565 days ago · 20 km deep · 2 km away
  6. 2.110 km ESE of East Foothills, California · 16565 days ago · 7 km deep · 54 km away
  7. 3.00 km ESE of North Gate, California · 16563 days ago · 12 km deep · 20 km away
  8. 1.815 km E of Seven Trees, California · 16563 days ago · 5 km deep · 61 km away
  9. 1.512 km E of Angwin, California · 16562 days ago · 5 km deep · 96 km away
  10. 1.60 km W of Broadmoor, California · 16561 days ago · 11 km deep · 65 km away
  11. 1.81 km NW of Emerald Lake Hills, California · 16560 days ago · 3 km deep · 59 km away
  12. 2.59 km NE of Gilroy, California · 16558 days ago · 9 km deep · 88 km away
  13. 2.55 km SW of Gilroy, California · 16558 days ago · 8 km deep · 97 km away
  14. 1.83 km E of Union City, California · 16557 days ago · 7 km deep · 32 km away
  15. 1.815 km SE of Livermore, California · 16556 days ago · 2 km deep · 31 km away
  16. 2.78 km NNE of East Foothills, California · 16555 days ago · 7 km deep · 42 km away
  17. 1.50 km SE of North Gate, California · 16555 days ago · 10 km deep · 21 km away
  18. 1.79 km NE of Gilroy, California · 16555 days ago · 8 km deep · 89 km away
  19. 1.99 km ENE of Gilroy, California · 16555 days ago · 8 km deep · 93 km away
  20. 2.26 km ENE of East Foothills, California · 16555 days ago · 9 km deep · 49 km away
  21. 1.66 km ENE of East Foothills, California · 16555 days ago · 9 km deep · 48 km away
  22. 2.46 km NE of East Foothills, California · 16554 days ago · 7 km deep · 47 km away
  23. 2.45 km S of Gilroy, California · 16554 days ago · 7 km deep · 99 km away
  24. 1.94 km SSW of Lagunitas-Forest Knolls, California · 16553 days ago · 0 km deep · 83 km away
  25. 2.211 km SW of Brentwood, California · 16551 days ago · 19 km deep · 1 km away
  26. 1.611 km ESE of East Foothills, California · 16551 days ago · 7 km deep · 56 km away
  27. 1.810 km SW of Brentwood, California · 16550 days ago · 15 km deep · 2 km away
  28. 1.55 km E of Fremont, California · 16550 days ago · 8 km deep · 35 km away
  29. 1.63 km NE of Day Valley, California · 16549 days ago · 3 km deep · 86 km away
  30. 1.64 km SSE of Fairview, California · 16549 days ago · 3 km deep · 31 km away
  31. 2.315 km SE of Livermore, California · 16547 days ago · 2 km deep · 31 km away
  32. 2.77 km WSW of Gilroy, California · 16547 days ago · 5 km deep · 96 km away
  33. 2.47 km WSW of Gilroy, California · 16547 days ago · 5 km deep · 96 km away
  34. 1.716 km SE of Livermore, California · 16547 days ago · 2 km deep · 32 km away
  35. 3.012 km E of Blackhawk, California · 16547 days ago · 16 km deep · 1 km away
  36. 1.81 km SSE of Portola Valley, California · 16547 days ago · 6 km deep · 65 km away
  37. 2.11 km SSE of Portola Valley, California · 16547 days ago · 7 km deep · 65 km away
  38. 2.41 km SSE of Portola Valley, California · 16547 days ago · 6 km deep · 65 km away
  39. 1.79 km ESE of East Foothills, California · 16546 days ago · 7 km deep · 53 km away
  40. 2.19 km S of Sunol, California · 16546 days ago · 7 km deep · 37 km away
  41. 1.77 km WSW of Gilroy, California · 16545 days ago · 5 km deep · 96 km away
  42. 1.922 km NE of East Foothills, California · 16544 days ago · 5 km deep · 40 km away
  43. 1.60 km NE of Woodside, California · 16542 days ago · 5 km deep · 61 km away
  44. 2.315 km E of Seven Trees, California · 16542 days ago · 7 km deep · 61 km away
  45. 1.56 km N of Foster City, California · 16540 days ago · 14 km deep · 49 km away
  46. 1.58 km ENE of Dublin, California · 16538 days ago · 11 km deep · 13 km away
  47. 1.6Northern California · 16537 days ago · 4 km deep · 31 km away
  48. 1.58 km ENE of Day Valley, California · 16536 days ago · 9 km deep · 86 km away
  49. 1.56 km WNW of Daly City, California · 16535 days ago · 9 km deep · 67 km away
  50. 1.910 km NE of Milpitas, California · 16532 days ago · 6 km deep · 39 km away
  51. 2.58 km ENE of Gilroy, California · 16532 days ago · 8 km deep · 92 km away
  52. 2.39 km ESE of East Foothills, California · 16532 days ago · 2 km deep · 54 km away
  53. 1.87 km NNE of Interlaken, California · 16531 days ago · 10 km deep · 91 km away
  54. 1.610 km ENE of Blackhawk, California · 16531 days ago · 9 km deep · 2 km away
  55. 1.58 km ESE of East Foothills, California · 16530 days ago · 9 km deep · 53 km away
  56. 1.89 km ESE of East Foothills, California · 16530 days ago · 8 km deep · 53 km away
  57. 1.815 km N of Morgan Hill, California · 16530 days ago · 2 km deep · 64 km away
  58. 1.65 km SW of Gilroy, California · 16529 days ago · 2 km deep · 96 km away
  59. 1.65 km NNE of Rohnert Park, California · 16529 days ago · 16 km deep · 100 km away
  60. 1.69 km ESE of East Foothills, California · 16528 days ago · 0 km deep · 54 km away

The first 60 of 83.

Before

  1. 2.313 km WSW of Esparto, California · 16567 days ago · 4 km deep · 98 km away
  2. 2.29 km ENE of Gilroy, California · 16568 days ago · 9 km deep · 92 km away
  3. 1.611 km ESE of East Foothills, California · 16569 days ago · 7 km deep · 56 km away
  4. 1.70 km NNW of Concord, California · 16570 days ago · 13 km deep · 28 km away
  5. 2.82 km ENE of San Leandro, California · 16570 days ago · 11 km deep · 33 km away
  6. 1.79 km E of Gilroy, California · 16571 days ago · 8 km deep · 95 km away
  7. 2.420 km SW of Diablo Grande, California · 16572 days ago · 72 km deep · 66 km away
  8. 1.89 km ENE of Gilroy, California · 16572 days ago · 8 km deep · 94 km away
  9. 2.714 km E of East Foothills, California · 16573 days ago · 6 km deep · 54 km away
  10. 1.7Northern California · 16575 days ago · 9 km deep · 88 km away
  11. 1.58 km NE of Gilroy, California · 16577 days ago · 3 km deep · 90 km away
  12. 1.66 km WSW of Pescadero, California · 16578 days ago · 6 km deep · 90 km away
  13. 2.03 km SW of Broadmoor, California · 16578 days ago · 7 km deep · 67 km away
  14. 1.78 km W of Gilroy, California · 16580 days ago · 7 km deep · 93 km away
  15. 2.29 km ESE of East Foothills, California · 16582 days ago · 8 km deep · 53 km away
  16. 1.69 km ESE of East Foothills, California · 16582 days ago · 8 km deep · 53 km away
  17. 1.82 km S of Rancho Calaveras, California · 16582 days ago · 38 km deep · 86 km away
  18. 1.77 km W of Mountain House, California · 16582 days ago · 9 km deep · 14 km away
  19. 2.616 km N of Morgan Hill, California · 16584 days ago · 6 km deep · 63 km away
  20. 4.18 km N of Day Valley, California · 16586 days ago · 13 km deep · 81 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1063675. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:27 PM UTC.