California earthquakes

M1.7 earthquake 18km SSE of Carpinteria, CA

A magnitude 1.7 earthquake struck 18km SSE of Carpinteria, CA on Mon, Jul 20, 1981, 9:16 AM PDT (16:16 UTC), 5 km (3 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M2.2 28km SE of Santa Cruz Is. (E end), 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
1.7 (mh), micro
Local time
UTC
1981-07-20 16:16:58 UTC
Depth
5.1 km (3.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter
34.239° N, 119.467° 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 0.9 km horizontally, 24.2 km in depth
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
112°
Stations used
9

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 195 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 195.

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci519670. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:29 PM UTC.