California earthquakes

M2.1 earthquake 12 km WSW of Callender, California

A magnitude 2.1 earthquake struck 12 km WSW of Callender, California on Thu, Dec 24, 1981, 12:09 PM PST (20:09 UTC), 0 km (0 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M2.9 32 km WSW of Guadalupe, California. 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
2.1 (md), micro
Local time
UTC
1981-12-24 20:09:21 UTC
Depth
-0.4 km (-0.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter
35.020° N, 120.723° 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 6.1 km horizontally, 7.5 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.17
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
258°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
21

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 15 in the 60 days after this one and 7 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 1.82 km SSW of Edna, California · 16339 days ago · 0 km deep · 20 km away
  2. 1.817 km E of Edna, California · 16337 days ago · 8 km deep · 36 km away
  3. 2.09 km ENE of Cayucos, California · 16330 days ago · 4 km deep · 50 km away
  4. 1.73 km N of San Luis Obispo, California · 16325 days ago · 0 km deep · 33 km away
  5. 2.932 km WSW of Guadalupe, California · 16324 days ago · 2 km deep · 25 km away
  6. 2.316 km WSW of Callender, California · 16323 days ago · 8 km deep · 4 km away
  7. 1.610 km NNE of Cayucos, California · 16314 days ago · 8 km deep · 56 km away
  8. 3.21 km S of Oceano, California · 16313 days ago · 0 km deep · 12 km away
  9. 1.511 km WNW of San Simeon, California · 16309 days ago · 5 km deep · 90 km away
  10. 2.515km NNW of Goleta, CA · 16304 days ago · 5 km deep · 92 km away
  11. 2.06 km SE of Los Osos, California · 16300 days ago · 3 km deep · 28 km away
  12. 2.010km WSW of Isla Vista, CA · 16296 days ago · 5 km deep · 99 km away
  13. 2.23 km SSW of Morro Bay, California · 16293 days ago · 5 km deep · 38 km away
  14. 2.313 km W of Templeton, California · 16287 days ago · 4 km deep · 62 km away
  15. 1.713 km W of Templeton, California · 16287 days ago · 5 km deep · 62 km away

Before

  1. 2.228 km WSW of Guadalupe, California · 16355 days ago · 5 km deep · 21 km away
  2. 1.825km S of Lompoc, CA · 16357 days ago · -1 km deep · 71 km away
  3. 1.97 km NE of Cambria, California · 16357 days ago · 2 km deep · 71 km away
  4. 1.6Near the coast of Central California · 16361 days ago · 8 km deep · 73 km away
  5. 1.68 km SW of Templeton, California · 16367 days ago · 4 km deep · 54 km away
  6. 2.315 km W of Guadalupe, California · 16370 days ago · 1 km deep · 8 km away
  7. 2.037km SSW of Lompoc, CA · 16372 days ago · 5 km deep · 79 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1070608 (also filed as ci103866). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:10 AM UTC.