M1.9 earthquake 21 km SE of Etna, California
A magnitude 1.9 earthquake struck 21 km SE of Etna, California on Fri, Dec 4, 1981, 2:59 PM PST (22:59 UTC), 7 km (4 mi) below the surface.
A larger quake followed: M2.4 0 km SSE of Bella Vista, California. This one was a foreshock.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 1.9 (Md, duration), micro
- Magnitude from
- Northern California Seismic System
- Local time
- UTC
- 1981-12-04 22:59:43 UTC
- Depth
- 6.9 km (4.3 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 41.309° N, 122.726° 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 4.3 km horizontally, 3.8 km in depth
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.17
- Depth from
- From location
- Station coverage gap
- 297°, poorly surrounded by stations
- Stations used
- 6
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 9 in the 60 days after this one and 6 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 1.64 km W of McCloud, California · 16362 days ago · 9 km deep · 45 km away
- 1.813 km WSW of Willow Creek, California · 16356 days ago · 23 km deep · 99 km away
- 2.20 km WNW of Millville, California · 16351 days ago · 19 km deep · 96 km away
- 2.117 km NNW of Willow Creek, California · 16349 days ago · 33 km deep · 87 km away
- 2.40 km SSE of Bella Vista, California · 16329 days ago · 4 km deep · 86 km away
- 2.318 km SE of Orick, California · 16325 days ago · 22 km deep · 100 km away
- 1.94 km WSW of Lakehead, California · 16321 days ago · -1 km deep · 53 km away
- 1.95 km SSW of Tennant, California · 16317 days ago · 3 km deep · 71 km away
- 1.824 km ENE of McCloud, California · 16313 days ago · 7 km deep · 71 km away
Before
- 1.713 km NNW of Big Bend, California · 16374 days ago · 3 km deep · 64 km away
- 2.5Northern California · 16376 days ago · 6 km deep · 63 km away
- 2.713 km SSE of Tennant, California · 16382 days ago · 3 km deep · 74 km away
- 2.411 km ENE of Trinity Village, California · 16387 days ago · 29 km deep · 72 km away
- 2.1Northern California · 16392 days ago · 23 km deep · 86 km away
- 1.55 km E of Willow Creek, California · 16400 days ago · 20 km deep · 82 km away
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Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1070020. Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 11:26 PM UTC.