California earthquakes

M3.0 earthquake 3km SSW of Brawley, CA

A magnitude 3.0 earthquake struck 3km SSW of Brawley, CA on Sat, May 9, 1981, 3:58 PM PDT (22:58 UTC), 19 km (12 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.6 6km SSW of Salton City, 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
3.0 (ml), micro
Local time
UTC
1981-05-09 22:58:12 UTC
Depth
19.1 km (11.8 mi), shallow
Epicenter
32.956° N, 115.537° 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 0.7 km horizontally, 1.1 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.12
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
70°
Stations used
42

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 192 in the 60 days after this one and 196 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 192.

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci515709 (also filed as usp0001dku). Read Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 3:51 PM UTC.