California earthquakes

M1.6 earthquake 3 km N of Chico, California

A magnitude 1.6 earthquake struck 3 km N of Chico, California on Wed, Feb 4, 1981, 10:44 AM PST (18:44 UTC), 17 km (11 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M2.8 2 km NNE of Chico, California. This one was a foreshock.

Chico 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
1.6 (ma), micro
Local time
UTC
1981-02-04 18:44:03 UTC
Depth
17.2 km (10.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter
39.755° N, 121.834° 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 1.1 km horizontally, 2.0 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.31
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
236°, 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: 27 in the 60 days after this one and 12 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 1.63 km S of East Quincy, California · 16671 days ago · 8 km deep · 82 km away
  2. 2.123 km WSW of Elk Creek, California · 16667 days ago · 7 km deep · 86 km away
  3. 2.57 km WSW of Lake Almanor West, California · 16664 days ago · 4 km deep · 69 km away
  4. 2.12 km SW of Forest Ranch, California · 16663 days ago · 20 km deep · 17 km away
  5. 2.18 km SE of Orland, California · 16663 days ago · 26 km deep · 25 km away
  6. 2.522 km WSW of Elk Creek, California · 16662 days ago · 6 km deep · 85 km away
  7. 2.19 km S of East Quincy, California · 16662 days ago · 2 km deep · 80 km away
  8. 2.04 km SE of Palermo, California · 16662 days ago · 6 km deep · 48 km away
  9. 2.02 km SSE of Cromberg, California · 16660 days ago · -1 km deep · 99 km away
  10. 2.47 km N of Little Grass Valley, California · 16658 days ago · 21 km deep · 73 km away
  11. 2.326 km W of Paskenta, California · 16653 days ago · -1 km deep · 89 km away
  12. 2.07 km WSW of Lake Almanor West, California · 16653 days ago · 3 km deep · 68 km away
  13. 2.82 km NNE of Chico, California · 16652 days ago · 17 km deep · 0 km away
  14. 2.01 km N of Chico, California · 16652 days ago · 16 km deep · 1 km away
  15. 1.717 km N of Princeton, California · 16648 days ago · 18 km deep · 26 km away
  16. 1.9Northern California · 16644 days ago · 16 km deep · 7 km away
  17. 2.34 km SSW of Prattville, California · 16638 days ago · -1 km deep · 73 km away
  18. 1.9Northern California · 16637 days ago · 17 km deep · 5 km away
  19. 2.7Northern California · 16637 days ago · 7 km deep · 47 km away
  20. 2.49 km SW of Lake Almanor West, California · 16635 days ago · 4 km deep · 66 km away
  21. 2.34 km SE of Palermo, California · 16634 days ago · 8 km deep · 48 km away
  22. 2.37 km SSW of Hamilton City, California · 16633 days ago · 18 km deep · 19 km away
  23. 2.711 km N of Princeton, California · 16625 days ago · 19 km deep · 31 km away
  24. 2.417 km W of Paskenta, California · 16625 days ago · -1 km deep · 79 km away
  25. 1.69 km WNW of Plumas Eureka (historical), California · 16624 days ago · 7 km deep · 89 km away
  26. 1.84 km NW of Tobin, California · 16620 days ago · 3 km deep · 48 km away
  27. 2.212 km SE of Paskenta, California · 16617 days ago · 10 km deep · 53 km away

Before

  1. 1.82 km N of Chico, California · 16675 days ago · 17 km deep · 1 km away
  2. 1.723 km NE of Potter Valley, California · 16676 days ago · 9 km deep · 98 km away
  3. 1.88 km NNW of Princeton, California · 16676 days ago · 14 km deep · 36 km away
  4. 1.74 km ENE of Orland, California · 16677 days ago · 33 km deep · 27 km away
  5. 1.816 km NE of Upper Lake, California · 16679 days ago · 0 km deep · 97 km away
  6. 3.36 km NNE of Butte Meadows, California · 16680 days ago · -1 km deep · 50 km away
  7. 2.66 km N of Princeton, California · 16684 days ago · 13 km deep · 35 km away
  8. 2.219 km W of Elk Creek, California · 16686 days ago · 7 km deep · 81 km away
  9. 2.31 km WSW of Rancho Tehama Reserve, California · 16693 days ago · 13 km deep · 58 km away
  10. 1.68 km SE of Hamilton City, California · 16695 days ago · 14 km deep · 13 km away
  11. 1.716 km N of Princeton, California · 16703 days ago · 22 km deep · 27 km away
  12. 3.216 km N of Princeton, California · 16703 days ago · 23 km deep · 27 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1059990. Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 3:31 AM UTC.