California earthquakes

M1.5 earthquake 9km SE of Bombay Beach, CA

A magnitude 1.5 earthquake struck 9km SE of Bombay Beach, CA on Wed, Dec 9, 1981, 9:17 PM PST (05:17 UTC), 5 km (3 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M1.5 12km E of Borrego Springs, CA. This one was a foreshock.

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Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude
1.5 (mh), micro
Local time
UTC
1981-12-10 05:17:15 UTC
Depth
5.2 km (3.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter
33.294° N, 115.663° 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, 0.5 km in depth
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
90°
Stations used
15

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 114 in the 60 days after this one and 47 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 1.512km E of Borrego Springs, CA · 16357 days ago · 2 km deep · 54 km away
  2. 1.53km NW of Julian, CA · 16355 days ago · 15 km deep · 92 km away
  3. 1.523km ENE of Pine Valley, CA · 16355 days ago · 6 km deep · 73 km away
  4. 1.66km WSW of Westmorland, CA · 16354 days ago · 8 km deep · 31 km away
  5. 1.822km ESE of Julian, CA · 16354 days ago · 3 km deep · 77 km away
  6. 2.319km NNE of Indio, CA · 16353 days ago · 4 km deep · 81 km away
  7. 1.718km S of Borrego Springs, CA · 16353 days ago · 7 km deep · 73 km away
  8. 2.75km SSW of Salton City, CA · 16353 days ago · 4 km deep · 29 km away
  9. 1.620km ESE of Julian, CA · 16349 days ago · 1 km deep · 78 km away
  10. 2.110km WSW of Imperial, CA · 16349 days ago · 15 km deep · 53 km away
  11. 2.311km SW of Puebla, B.C., MX · 16349 days ago · 6 km deep · 91 km away
  12. 1.535km SE of Twentynine Palms, CA · 16349 days ago · 4 km deep · 73 km away
  13. 1.727km SSW of Ocotillo Wells, CA · 16349 days ago · 5 km deep · 67 km away
  14. 1.68km ESE of Anza, CA · 16348 days ago · 11 km deep · 90 km away
  15. 1.62km E of Progreso, B.C., MX · 16347 days ago · 10 km deep · 80 km away
  16. 1.726km SSW of Ocotillo Wells, CA · 16347 days ago · 5 km deep · 70 km away
  17. 2.511km N of Borrego Springs, CA · 16345 days ago · 10 km deep · 65 km away
  18. 1.611km SE of Bombay Beach, CA · 16345 days ago · 2 km deep · 2 km away
  19. 1.714km SE of Anza, CA · 16344 days ago · 10 km deep · 86 km away
  20. 1.811km WNW of Westmorland, CA · 16343 days ago · 7 km deep · 26 km away
  21. 1.926km SSW of Ocotillo Wells, CA · 16343 days ago · 2 km deep · 70 km away
  22. 2.012km SW of Salton City, CA · 16342 days ago · 8 km deep · 37 km away
  23. 2.812km NNE of Ocotillo Wells, CA · 16342 days ago · 6 km deep · 38 km away
  24. 1.711km NNE of Ocotillo Wells, CA · 16342 days ago · 4 km deep · 38 km away
  25. 1.914km SE of Anza, CA · 16342 days ago · 7 km deep · 86 km away
  26. 2.412km NE of Thousand Palms, CA · 16341 days ago · 6 km deep · 87 km away
  27. 1.725km WSW of Westmorland, CA · 16341 days ago · 8 km deep · 41 km away
  28. 1.89km NE of Coachella, CA · 16340 days ago · 4 km deep · 65 km away
  29. 1.76km NE of Imperial, CA · 16340 days ago · 15 km deep · 47 km away
  30. 1.619km ESE of Anza, CA · 16338 days ago · 12 km deep · 80 km away
  31. 2.614km SE of Anza, CA · 16338 days ago · 8 km deep · 86 km away
  32. 1.820km W of Progreso, B.C., MX · 16338 days ago · 5 km deep · 81 km away
  33. 1.821km W of Progreso, B.C., MX · 16338 days ago · 4 km deep · 82 km away
  34. 1.627km SE of Twentynine Palms, CA · 16337 days ago · 3 km deep · 75 km away
  35. 1.718km SSW of Ocotillo Wells, CA · 16336 days ago · 4 km deep · 62 km away
  36. 1.75km ENE of Heber, CA · 16336 days ago · 6 km deep · 62 km away
  37. 2.112km WSW of Ocotillo, CA · 16335 days ago · 5 km deep · 78 km away
  38. 2.126km SSW of Ocotillo Wells, CA · 16334 days ago · 5 km deep · 69 km away
  39. 2.325km SSW of Ocotillo Wells, CA · 16334 days ago · 5 km deep · 69 km away
  40. 3.040km NNW of Los Algodones, B.C., MX · 16334 days ago · 6 km deep · 82 km away
  41. 2.321km NNW of Borrego Springs, CA · 16333 days ago · 10 km deep · 72 km away
  42. 1.66km NE of Ocotillo Wells, CA · 16332 days ago · 10 km deep · 42 km away
  43. 1.69km NE of Coachella, CA · 16332 days ago · 1 km deep · 65 km away
  44. 1.910km ESE of North Shore, CA · 16332 days ago · 10 km deep · 26 km away
  45. 1.93km N of Julian, CA · 16332 days ago · 10 km deep · 90 km away
  46. 1.69km N of Westmorland, CA · 16331 days ago · 6 km deep · 20 km away
  47. 1.827km SSE of Twentynine Palms, CA · 16330 days ago · 2 km deep · 75 km away
  48. 1.911km SW of Salton City, CA · 16330 days ago · 6 km deep · 37 km away
  49. 1.812km E of Borrego Springs, CA · 16329 days ago · 14 km deep · 54 km away
  50. 2.114km NE of Coachella, CA · 16329 days ago · 5 km deep · 65 km away
  51. 1.76km SE of Bombay Beach, CA · 16327 days ago · 3 km deep · 3 km away
  52. 1.76km SE of Bombay Beach, CA · 16327 days ago · 3 km deep · 3 km away
  53. 1.926km SSW of Ocotillo Wells, CA · 16325 days ago · 5 km deep · 69 km away
  54. 1.89km NNE of Borrego Springs, CA · 16325 days ago · 9 km deep · 64 km away
  55. 2.017km SW of Ocotillo Wells, CA · 16325 days ago · 10 km deep · 62 km away
  56. 1.68km SW of Holtville, CA · 16323 days ago · 10 km deep · 64 km away
  57. 2.222km N of Borrego Springs, CA · 16323 days ago · 8 km deep · 70 km away
  58. 2.310km SSE of Anza, CA · 16322 days ago · 5 km deep · 92 km away
  59. 1.818km SE of Salton City, CA · 16321 days ago · 6 km deep · 18 km away
  60. 2.219km ESE of Anza, CA · 16321 days ago · 14 km deep · 80 km away

The first 60 of 114.

Before

  1. 1.512km NNE of Indio, CA · 16359 days ago · 6 km deep · 77 km away
  2. 2.77km NNE of Borrego Springs, CA · 16359 days ago · 12 km deep · 64 km away
  3. 1.732km SE of Twentynine Palms, CA · 16361 days ago · 7 km deep · 71 km away
  4. 1.711km W of Calipatria, CA · 16362 days ago · 11 km deep · 17 km away
  5. 2.010km NNE of Ocotillo Wells, CA · 16362 days ago · 7 km deep · 40 km away
  6. 1.710km NE of Borrego Springs, CA · 16364 days ago · 10 km deep · 61 km away
  7. 1.63km WNW of Brawley, CA · 16366 days ago · 10 km deep · 35 km away
  8. 2.132km SE of Twentynine Palms, CA · 16366 days ago · 9 km deep · 71 km away
  9. 1.814km NNW of Delta, B.C., MX · 16366 days ago · 6 km deep · 99 km away
  10. 1.611km W of Calipatria, CA · 16366 days ago · 10 km deep · 18 km away
  11. 1.68km W of Calipatria, CA · 16366 days ago · 10 km deep · 20 km away
  12. 1.710km W of Calipatria, CA · 16367 days ago · 10 km deep · 18 km away
  13. 1.811km W of Calipatria, CA · 16367 days ago · 11 km deep · 18 km away
  14. 1.511km W of Calipatria, CA · 16367 days ago · 9 km deep · 18 km away
  15. 1.621km ESE of Anza, CA · 16367 days ago · 6 km deep · 77 km away
  16. 2.812km N of Westmorland, CA · 16367 days ago · 14 km deep · 17 km away
  17. 2.211km WNW of Calipatria, CA · 16367 days ago · 10 km deep · 16 km away
  18. 1.614km WSW of Westmorland, CA · 16368 days ago · 5 km deep · 36 km away
  19. 1.77km SE of Bombay Beach, CA · 16368 days ago · 4 km deep · 2 km away
  20. 2.08km SSE of Bombay Beach, CA · 16368 days ago · 4 km deep · 2 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci102921. Read Wed, Sep 23, 2026, 3:22 AM UTC.