California earthquakes

M4.8 earthquake 7 km E of East Foothills, California

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 7 km E of East Foothills, California on Thu, Jan 15, 1981, 4:47 AM PST (12:47 UTC), 9 km (6 mi) below the surface.

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 4.8 (ml), light
Local time: Thu, Jan 15, 1981, 4:47 AM PST
UTC: 1981-01-15 12:47:51 UTC
Depth: 8.9 km (5.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 37.374° N, 121.729° W
Region: California
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 0.2 km horizontally, 0.4 km in depth
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 48°
Stations used: 72

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.8 and up: 111 in the 60 days after this one and 38 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 111.

Before

Earthquakes today California earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1059310 (also filed as ushis3697, ci3315786, usp0001bqy). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:27 AM UTC.