California earthquakes

M3.1 earthquake 10 km N of Chico, California

A magnitude 3.1 earthquake struck 10 km N of Chico, California on Sat, Oct 24, 1981, 9:58 PM PDT (04:58 UTC), 22 km (14 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.2 Northern 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
3.1 (md), minor
Local time
UTC
1981-10-25 04:58:04 UTC
Depth
21.9 km (13.6 mi), shallow
Epicenter
39.827° N, 121.845° 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 0.7 km horizontally, 1.9 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.15
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
85°
Stations used
19

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 37 in the 60 days after this one and 8 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 2.129 km WSW of Paskenta, California · 16402 days ago · 11 km deep · 88 km away
  2. 1.913 km N of Chester, California · 16394 days ago · 2 km deep · 85 km away
  3. 2.79 km NE of Gerber, California · 16392 days ago · 24 km deep · 36 km away
  4. 1.55 km NW of Chester, California · 16392 days ago · 2 km deep · 74 km away
  5. 1.73 km NW of Chester, California · 16391 days ago · 2 km deep · 74 km away
  6. 2.523 km W of Elk Creek, California · 16391 days ago · 6 km deep · 85 km away
  7. 2.615 km ENE of Shingletown, California · 16390 days ago · 9 km deep · 80 km away
  8. 1.912 km NNW of Shingletown, California · 16388 days ago · 3 km deep · 86 km away
  9. 1.81 km SSW of Hamilton City, California · 16388 days ago · 6 km deep · 18 km away
  10. 1.715 km WSW of Paskenta, California · 16387 days ago · 4 km deep · 75 km away
  11. 1.5Northern California · 16387 days ago · 19 km deep · 24 km away
  12. 1.78 km S of Hamilton City, California · 16387 days ago · 17 km deep · 24 km away
  13. 1.86 km NNW of Bucks Lake, California · 16382 days ago · 11 km deep · 55 km away
  14. 2.015 km SSW of Old Station, California · 16377 days ago · 5 km deep · 85 km away
  15. 1.6Northern California · 16377 days ago · 8 km deep · 88 km away
  16. 2.238 km WNW of Paskenta, California · 16366 days ago · 2 km deep · 96 km away
  17. 1.93 km S of South Oroville, California · 16365 days ago · 11 km deep · 47 km away
  18. 1.815 km WSW of Chester, California · 16364 days ago · 3 km deep · 61 km away
  19. 1.62 km E of Shingletown, California · 16363 days ago · 3 km deep · 74 km away
  20. 1.829 km WSW of Paskenta, California · 16363 days ago · 10 km deep · 85 km away
  21. 1.621 km W of Stonyford, California · 16363 days ago · 1 km deep · 95 km away
  22. 1.94 km NW of Lake Almanor West, California · 16362 days ago · 26 km deep · 70 km away
  23. 2.221 km W of Stonyford, California · 16360 days ago · 4 km deep · 94 km away
  24. 1.85 km WNW of Manton, California · 16359 days ago · 3 km deep · 70 km away
  25. 2.314 km WNW of Paskenta, California · 16359 days ago · 7 km deep · 74 km away
  26. 2.721 km W of Stonyford, California · 16358 days ago · 4 km deep · 94 km away
  27. 2.0Northern California · 16358 days ago · 2 km deep · 95 km away
  28. 2.77 km WNW of Paradise, California · 16357 days ago · 5 km deep · 13 km away
  29. 2.12 km SE of South Oroville, California · 16355 days ago · 9 km deep · 47 km away
  30. 2.512 km NW of Stonyford, California · 16352 days ago · 9 km deep · 82 km away
  31. 2.512 km WNW of Stonyford, California · 16352 days ago · 9 km deep · 82 km away
  32. 2.48 km WNW of Belden, California · 16348 days ago · 4 km deep · 49 km away
  33. 3.2Northern California · 16346 days ago · 0 km deep · 92 km away
  34. 1.64 km N of Shingletown, California · 16346 days ago · 3 km deep · 79 km away
  35. 2.420 km WSW of Old Station, CA · 16346 days ago · 7 km deep · 87 km away
  36. 1.86 km W of Dobbins, California · 16345 days ago · 14 km deep · 70 km away
  37. 2.110 km SW of Lake Almanor West, California · 16344 days ago · 4 km deep · 61 km away

Before

  1. 1.510 km NE of Mineral, California · 16415 days ago · -2 km deep · 72 km away
  2. 2.26 km WSW of Paradise, California · 16416 days ago · 16 km deep · 18 km away
  3. 2.214 km S of Hamilton City, California · 16416 days ago · 23 km deep · 29 km away
  4. 1.618 km NE of Upper Lake, California · 16417 days ago · 5 km deep · 100 km away
  5. 3.29 km NNE of Millville, California · 16418 days ago · 3 km deep · 92 km away
  6. 1.53 km E of Palermo, California · 16420 days ago · 5 km deep · 53 km away
  7. 2.029 km WSW of Paskenta, California · 16427 days ago · 2 km deep · 86 km away
  8. 1.77 km SE of Mineral, California · 16429 days ago · -1 km deep · 57 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1068901. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 4:16 PM UTC.