California earthquakes

M2.0 earthquake 1 km ENE of Chester, California

A magnitude 2.0 earthquake struck 1 km ENE of Chester, California on Mon, Aug 3, 1981, 9:17 PM PDT (04:17 UTC), 7 km (4 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M2.0 2 km ESE of Chester, California. This one was a foreshock.

Chester forecastMore in California

Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude
2.0 (md), micro
Local time
UTC
1981-08-04 04:17:00 UTC
Depth
7.1 km (4.4 mi), shallow
Epicenter
40.309° N, 121.213° 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 1.8 km horizontally, 3.6 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.15
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
246°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
8

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 19 in the 60 days after this one and 22 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 2.02 km ESE of Chester, California · 16486 days ago · 5 km deep · 1 km away
  2. 1.6Northern California · 16485 days ago · 3 km deep · 11 km away
  3. 1.9Northern California · 16484 days ago · 13 km deep · 70 km away
  4. 1.97 km ESE of Los Molinos, California · 16482 days ago · 3 km deep · 77 km away
  5. 1.615 km NNE of Butte Meadows, California · 16480 days ago · 3 km deep · 25 km away
  6. 2.30 km NW of Chester, California · 16477 days ago · 2 km deep · 2 km away
  7. 1.710 km SE of Mineral, California · 16473 days ago · 2 km deep · 24 km away
  8. 1.712 km ENE of Shingletown, California · 16473 days ago · 7 km deep · 53 km away
  9. 1.619 km N of Chester, California · 16473 days ago · 0 km deep · 19 km away
  10. 1.51 km E of Oroville, California · 16470 days ago · 10 km deep · 93 km away
  11. 1.9Northern California · 16467 days ago · 3 km deep · 13 km away
  12. 1.711 km NNE of Shingletown, California · 16462 days ago · 1 km deep · 64 km away
  13. 3.13 km WSW of Spring Garden, California · 16460 days ago · 0 km deep · 57 km away
  14. 1.76 km SSW of Hamilton City, California · 16452 days ago · 19 km deep · 98 km away
  15. 2.52 km ESE of Prattville, California · 16449 days ago · 2 km deep · 14 km away
  16. 3.02 km ENE of Prattville, California · 16449 days ago · 12 km deep · 13 km away
  17. 2.81 km ENE of Lake Almanor West, California · 16449 days ago · 2 km deep · 8 km away
  18. 2.511 km NE of Cromberg, California · 16444 days ago · 5 km deep · 67 km away
  19. 1.77 km SE of Mineral, California · 16429 days ago · -1 km deep · 28 km away

Before

  1. 2.91 km ENE of Clipper Mills, California · 16488 days ago · 8 km deep · 86 km away
  2. 1.86 km WSW of Durham, California · 16488 days ago · 29 km deep · 95 km away
  3. 2.27 km NE of Montgomery Creek, California · 16494 days ago · 7 km deep · 85 km away
  4. 2.14 km SSW of Whitehawk, California · 16494 days ago · 14 km deep · 88 km away
  5. 2.010 km W of Lake Almanor West, California · 16495 days ago · 3 km deep · 13 km away
  6. 2.75 km ESE of Chico, California · 16497 days ago · 19 km deep · 82 km away
  7. 1.93 km SW of East Shore, California · 16499 days ago · 1 km deep · 14 km away
  8. 1.66 km NW of Plumas Eureka (historical), California · 16499 days ago · 1 km deep · 69 km away
  9. 2.0Northern California · 16500 days ago · 13 km deep · 81 km away
  10. 1.82 km NE of Canyondam, California · 16500 days ago · 2 km deep · 19 km away
  11. 1.8Northern California · 16500 days ago · 9 km deep · 74 km away
  12. 1.52 km ESE of Nord, California · 16500 days ago · 14 km deep · 86 km away
  13. 2.913 km E of Bend, California · 16501 days ago · 24 km deep · 71 km away
  14. 2.86 km NNW of Thermalito, California · 16502 days ago · 2 km deep · 89 km away
  15. 2.3Northern California · 16502 days ago · 2 km deep · 89 km away
  16. 2.611 km NE of Nord, California · 16504 days ago · 21 km deep · 75 km away
  17. 1.50 km NW of Lake Almanor Country Club, California · 16505 days ago · 2 km deep · 8 km away
  18. 1.716 km NE of Mineral, California · 16510 days ago · 1 km deep · 29 km away
  19. 1.612 km WSW of Chester, California · 16511 days ago · 3 km deep · 14 km away
  20. 2.915 km NNE of Mineral, California · 16513 days ago · 0 km deep · 30 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1066274. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:59 PM UTC.