California earthquakes

M1.5 earthquake 5 km NW of Chester, California

A magnitude 1.5 earthquake struck 5 km NW of Chester, California on Thu, Nov 5, 1981, 6:20 PM PST (02:20 UTC), 2 km (2 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M1.7 3 km NW 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
1.5 (md), micro
Local time
UTC
1981-11-06 02:20:45 UTC
Depth
2.4 km (1.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
40.332° N, 121.282° 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 3.1 km horizontally, 10.2 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.19
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
273°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
4

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 29 in the 60 days after this one and 6 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 1.73 km NW of Chester, California · 16392 days ago · 2 km deep · 2 km away
  2. 2.615 km ENE of Shingletown, California · 16390 days ago · 9 km deep · 43 km away
  3. 1.912 km NNW of Shingletown, California · 16389 days ago · 3 km deep · 62 km away
  4. 1.81 km SSW of Hamilton City, California · 16388 days ago · 6 km deep · 92 km away
  5. 1.5Northern California · 16388 days ago · 19 km deep · 97 km away
  6. 1.78 km S of Hamilton City, California · 16388 days ago · 17 km deep · 97 km away
  7. 1.86 km NNW of Bucks Lake, California · 16383 days ago · 11 km deep · 46 km away
  8. 2.329 km SE of Nubieber, California · 16378 days ago · 5 km deep · 65 km away
  9. 2.015 km SSW of Old Station, California · 16378 days ago · 5 km deep · 33 km away
  10. 1.6Northern California · 16378 days ago · 8 km deep · 35 km away
  11. 1.93 km S of South Oroville, California · 16366 days ago · 11 km deep · 99 km away
  12. 1.815 km WSW of Chester, California · 16364 days ago · 3 km deep · 13 km away
  13. 1.62 km E of Shingletown, California · 16363 days ago · 3 km deep · 52 km away
  14. 1.94 km NW of Lake Almanor West, California · 16363 days ago · 26 km deep · 8 km away
  15. 1.85 km WNW of Manton, California · 16360 days ago · 3 km deep · 57 km away
  16. 2.77 km WNW of Paradise, California · 16357 days ago · 5 km deep · 72 km away
  17. 2.12 km SE of South Oroville, California · 16356 days ago · 9 km deep · 97 km away
  18. 2.48 km WNW of Belden, California · 16348 days ago · 4 km deep · 34 km away
  19. 3.2Northern California · 16346 days ago · 0 km deep · 66 km away
  20. 1.64 km N of Shingletown, California · 16346 days ago · 3 km deep · 56 km away
  21. 2.420 km WSW of Old Station, CA · 16346 days ago · 7 km deep · 42 km away
  22. 2.110 km SW of Lake Almanor West, California · 16345 days ago · 4 km deep · 19 km away
  23. 2.20 km WNW of Millville, California · 16342 days ago · 19 km deep · 80 km away
  24. 1.814 km NNE of Mineral, California · 16340 days ago · 2 km deep · 27 km away
  25. 2.66 km W of Sierra City, California · 16338 days ago · 19 km deep · 99 km away
  26. 1.519 km SE of Round Mountain, California · 16337 days ago · 29 km deep · 57 km away
  27. 1.914 km NNE of Mineral, California · 16336 days ago · 3 km deep · 27 km away
  28. 2.73 km WNW of Greenville, California · 16335 days ago · 2 km deep · 32 km away
  29. 2.212 km NE of Beckwourth, California · 16333 days ago · 0 km deep · 97 km away

Before

  1. 2.79 km NE of Gerber, California · 16393 days ago · 24 km deep · 70 km away
  2. 1.913 km N of Chester, California · 16395 days ago · 2 km deep · 12 km away
  3. 3.110 km N of Chico, California · 16404 days ago · 22 km deep · 74 km away
  4. 1.510 km NE of Mineral, California · 16415 days ago · -2 km deep · 21 km away
  5. 2.26 km WSW of Paradise, California · 16417 days ago · 16 km deep · 75 km away
  6. 3.29 km NNE of Millville, California · 16419 days ago · 3 km deep · 78 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1069225. Read Wed, Sep 23, 2026, 4:22 AM UTC.