California earthquakes

M3.2 earthquake 24 km ENE of Greenfield, California

A magnitude 3.2 earthquake struck 24 km ENE of Greenfield, California on Sun, Nov 15, 1981, 11:29 PM PST (07:29 UTC), 8 km (5 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.3 9 km ENE of Gilroy, California. This one was a foreshock.

Greenfield forecast More in California

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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: 3.2 (ml), minor
Local time: Sun, Nov 15, 1981, 11:29 PM PST
UTC: 1981-11-16 07:29:53 UTC
Depth: 8.4 km (5.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 36.438° N, 121.015° 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: 70°
Stations used: 56

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 140 in the 60 days after this one and 42 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 140.

Before

Earthquakes today California earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1069488 (also filed as ci527081, usp0001gzp). Read Wed, Sep 23, 2026, 8:37 AM UTC.