California earthquakes

M3.2 earthquake 2 km SSW of Edna, California

A magnitude 3.2 earthquake struck 2 km SSW of Edna, California on Sun, Feb 22, 1981, 10:12 PM PST (06:12 UTC), 0 km (0 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.6 17 km NW of Parkfield, 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
3.2 (ML, local (Richter)), minor
Magnitude from
Northern California Seismic System
Local time
UTC
1981-02-23 06:12:50 UTC
Depth
-0.2 km (-0.1 mi), shallow
Epicenter
35.181° N, 120.629° W
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

Magnitude estimates

Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.

Mag.ScaleComputed byNotes
3.2ML, local (Richter)Northern California Seismic SystemPreferred · Final · 0 stations
3.4ML, local (Richter)USGS National Earthquake Information CenterReviewed
3.38ML, local (Richter)Southern California Seismic NetworkFinal · ±0.289 · 5 stations

What happened

The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.

FELT AT SAN LUIS OBISPO, ARROYO GRANDE, AND GROVER CITY.

From the USGS event page for nc1060677. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.

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 0.3 km horizontally, 0.4 km in depth
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
158°
Stations used
40

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 36 in the 60 days after this one and 33 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1060677 (also filed as usp0001cba, ci3317207). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 10:47 PM UTC.