California earthquakes

M1.6 earthquake 15 km S of Etna, California

A magnitude 1.6 earthquake struck 15 km S of Etna, California on Sun, Aug 16, 1981, 3:59 AM PDT (10:59 UTC), 3 km (2 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.2 11 km WSW of Hayfork, California. This one was a foreshock.

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Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
1.6 (Md, duration), micro
Magnitude from
Northern California Seismic System
Local time
UTC
1981-08-16 10:59:58 UTC
Depth
3.0 km (1.8 mi), shallow
Epicenter
41.319° N, 122.861° 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 6.9 km horizontally, 8.7 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.07
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
321°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
4

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 7 in the 60 days after this one and 6 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 1.85 km E of Tennant, California · 16477 days ago · 7 km deep · 89 km away
  2. 2.65 km ESE of Trinity Village, California · 16476 days ago · 33 km deep · 72 km away
  3. 3.211 km WSW of Hayfork, California · 16469 days ago · 30 km deep · 98 km away
  4. 1.67 km NNW of McCloud, California · 16456 days ago · 6 km deep · 57 km away
  5. 1.65 km N of McCloud, California · 16440 days ago · 5 km deep · 59 km away
  6. 3.29 km NNE of Millville, California · 16428 days ago · 3 km deep · 99 km away
  7. 1.810 km SW of Trinity Village, California · 16427 days ago · 22 km deep · 85 km away

Before

  1. 2.113 km NNE of Carrick, California · 16486 days ago · 3 km deep · 55 km away
  2. 1.92 km S of Lakehead, California · 16498 days ago · 4 km deep · 63 km away
  3. 2.27 km NE of Montgomery Creek, California · 16503 days ago · 7 km deep · 96 km away
  4. 1.90 km SSE of Burnt Ranch, California · 16507 days ago · 34 km deep · 77 km away
  5. 2.16 km N of Hyampom, California · 16512 days ago · 14 km deep · 86 km away
  6. 2.018 km ESE of Blue Lake, California · 16513 days ago · 32 km deep · 96 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1066822. Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 12:23 AM UTC.