M1.9 earthquake 2km SSW of Brawley, CA

A magnitude 1.9 earthquake struck 2km SSW of Brawley, CA on Wed, Jun 3, 1981, 11:24 PM PDT (06:24 UTC), 15 km (9 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.6 6km SSW of Salton City, CA. This one was a foreshock.

Map

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

Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.

Mag.	Scale	Computed by	Notes
1.85	Mc	Southern California Seismic Network	Preferred · Final · 16 stations
2.7	ML, local (Richter)	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Reviewed

The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.

FELT IN THE IMPERIAL VALLEY.

From the USGS event page for ci517115. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

Reviewed by a seismologist.

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

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 196 in the 60 days after this one and 124 in the 30 days before it.

The first 60 of 196.

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci517115 (also filed as usp0001e06). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 1:35 AM UTC.