California earthquakes

M2.5 earthquake 3 km SW of Clipper Mills, California

A magnitude 2.5 earthquake struck 3 km SW of Clipper Mills, California on Sun, May 17, 1981, 5:28 PM PDT (00:28 UTC), 12 km (7 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M2.9 1 km SW of Clipper Mills, California. 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
2.5 (md), micro
Local time
UTC
1981-05-18 00:28:20 UTC
Depth
11.9 km (7.4 mi), shallow
Epicenter
39.512° N, 121.183° 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, 1.4 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.18
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
151°
Stations used
18

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 28 in the 60 days after this one and 7 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 1.71 km NNW of Lincoln, California · 16560 days ago · 6 km deep · 68 km away
  2. 2.50 km SSW of Clipper Mills, California · 16560 days ago · 12 km deep · 3 km away
  3. 1.912 km WSW of Chester, California · 16559 days ago · 1 km deep · 83 km away
  4. 2.013 km SW of Lake Almanor West, California · 16559 days ago · 8 km deep · 74 km away
  5. 1.72 km W of Nord, California · 16558 days ago · 20 km deep · 75 km away
  6. 2.91 km SW of Clipper Mills, California · 16555 days ago · 14 km deep · 1 km away
  7. 2.311 km N of Chester, California · 16552 days ago · 2 km deep · 100 km away
  8. 1.63 km ESE of Palermo, California · 16546 days ago · 3 km deep · 29 km away
  9. 2.4Northern California · 16545 days ago · 13 km deep · 68 km away
  10. 2.510 km SW of Spring Garden, California · 16544 days ago · -1 km deep · 44 km away
  11. 2.14 km NNW of Dobbins, California · 16544 days ago · 22 km deep · 12 km away
  12. 2.75 km SSW of Truckee, California · 16543 days ago · 14 km deep · 88 km away
  13. 2.213 km WNW of Cohasset, California · 16541 days ago · 15 km deep · 78 km away
  14. 3.24 km E of Sierraville, California · 16539 days ago · 4 km deep · 75 km away
  15. 1.81 km NNE of Clipper Mills, California · 16529 days ago · 7 km deep · 5 km away
  16. 2.84 km ESE of Palermo, California · 16528 days ago · 5 km deep · 27 km away
  17. 3.12 km NNW of Belden, California · 16528 days ago · 5 km deep · 58 km away
  18. 2.212 km WSW of Chester, California · 16526 days ago · 3 km deep · 83 km away
  19. 3.45 km SE of Palermo, California · 16520 days ago · 7 km deep · 29 km away
  20. 1.84 km SE of Palermo, California · 16520 days ago · 5 km deep · 30 km away
  21. 1.94 km SE of Palermo, California · 16519 days ago · 7 km deep · 30 km away
  22. 2.13 km NW of Lake Almanor Country Club, California · 16519 days ago · 3 km deep · 84 km away
  23. 1.612 km WSW of Chester, California · 16511 days ago · 3 km deep · 87 km away
  24. 2.03 km ESE of Palermo, California · 16507 days ago · 4 km deep · 29 km away
  25. 2.54 km SE of Palermo, California · 16506 days ago · 7 km deep · 30 km away
  26. 1.50 km NW of Lake Almanor Country Club, California · 16505 days ago · 2 km deep · 82 km away
  27. 2.54 km SE of Palermo, California · 16505 days ago · 7 km deep · 30 km away
  28. 2.611 km NE of Nord, California · 16505 days ago · 21 km deep · 69 km away

Before

  1. 2.70 km WSW of Clipper Mills, California · 16566 days ago · 11 km deep · 3 km away
  2. 3.27 km SW of Artois, California · 16573 days ago · 19 km deep · 93 km away
  3. 2.413 km SSW of Lake Almanor West, California · 16579 days ago · 5 km deep · 70 km away
  4. 1.75 km WNW of Bangor, California · 16583 days ago · 6 km deep · 27 km away
  5. 2.06 km ESE of Butte Meadows, California · 16584 days ago · 5 km deep · 66 km away
  6. 2.27 km WNW of Sierra City, California · 16586 days ago · 10 km deep · 41 km away
  7. 2.45 km SE of Palermo, California · 16591 days ago · 6 km deep · 30 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1063744. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:30 PM UTC.