California earthquakes

M3.0 earthquake 13km WSW of Imperial, CA

A magnitude 3.0 earthquake struck 13km WSW of Imperial, CA on Sat, Aug 8, 1981, 9:43 PM PDT (04:43 UTC), 22 km (14 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.0 8km NE of Julian, CA. 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
3.0 (mc), micro
Local time
UTC
1981-08-09 04:43:14 UTC
Depth
22.4 km (13.9 mi), shallow
Epicenter
32.819° N, 115.701° 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 0.8 km horizontally, 1.0 km in depth
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
80°
Stations used
44

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 163 in the 60 days after this one and 71 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 1.52km SSW of Brawley, CA · 16486 days ago · 15 km deep · 22 km away
  2. 1.73km SSW of Brawley, CA · 16485 days ago · 12 km deep · 21 km away
  3. 1.68km SW of Salton City, CA · 16485 days ago · 3 km deep · 56 km away
  4. 1.914km W of El Centro, CA · 16485 days ago · 14 km deep · 5 km away
  5. 1.811km ENE of Julian, CA · 16484 days ago · 12 km deep · 81 km away
  6. 2.316km ESE of Campo, CA · 16483 days ago · 2 km deep · 64 km away
  7. 1.512km S of Salton City, CA · 16482 days ago · 8 km deep · 47 km away
  8. 1.712km SE of Puebla, B.C., MX · 16481 days ago · 6 km deep · 55 km away
  9. 1.54km SSW of Salton City, CA · 16480 days ago · 5 km deep · 55 km away
  10. 1.815km S of Salton City, CA · 16480 days ago · 12 km deep · 45 km away
  11. 2.014km N of Borrego Springs, CA · 16480 days ago · 3 km deep · 90 km away
  12. 1.715km N of Borrego Springs, CA · 16480 days ago · 3 km deep · 90 km away
  13. 1.515km N of Borrego Springs, CA · 16478 days ago · 3 km deep · 89 km away
  14. 1.715km N of Borrego Springs, CA · 16478 days ago · 3 km deep · 89 km away
  15. 1.64km NNW of Westmorland, CA · 16478 days ago · 11 km deep · 29 km away
  16. 1.617km ESE of Campo, CA · 16478 days ago · 7 km deep · 65 km away
  17. 1.514km N of Borrego Springs, CA · 16478 days ago · 14 km deep · 90 km away
  18. 2.514km N of Borrego Springs, CA · 16477 days ago · 12 km deep · 89 km away
  19. 2.44km SE of Westmorland, CA · 16477 days ago · 5 km deep · 24 km away
  20. 1.523km ESE of Ocotillo Wells, CA · 16475 days ago · 4 km deep · 31 km away
  21. 2.04km WSW of Brawley, CA · 16474 days ago · 5 km deep · 21 km away
  22. 1.54km ENE of Ocotillo Wells, CA · 16474 days ago · 11 km deep · 53 km away
  23. 1.96km SSW of Salton City, CA · 16473 days ago · 3 km deep · 54 km away
  24. 1.67km N of Imperial, CA · 16473 days ago · 12 km deep · 17 km away
  25. 1.56km SSW of Salton City, CA · 16473 days ago · 1 km deep · 55 km away
  26. 2.110km NNE of Borrego Springs, CA · 16473 days ago · 13 km deep · 82 km away
  27. 2.46km SSW of Salton City, CA · 16473 days ago · 3 km deep · 54 km away
  28. 2.04km SSW of Salton City, CA · 16473 days ago · 5 km deep · 56 km away
  29. 1.76km SSW of Salton City, CA · 16472 days ago · 1 km deep · 55 km away
  30. 1.66km SSW of Salton City, CA · 16472 days ago · 1 km deep · 54 km away
  31. 1.613km ESE of North Shore, CA · 16470 days ago · 8 km deep · 74 km away
  32. 1.76km SW of Salton City, CA · 16470 days ago · 4 km deep · 55 km away
  33. 2.07km SSW of Salton City, CA · 16470 days ago · 3 km deep · 54 km away
  34. 2.76km SSW of Salton City, CA · 16470 days ago · 3 km deep · 54 km away
  35. 1.66km S of Salton City, CA · 16470 days ago · 3 km deep · 53 km away
  36. 1.82km NE of Ocotillo Wells, CA · 16469 days ago · 9 km deep · 54 km away
  37. 1.99km ENE of Calexico, CA · 16468 days ago · 17 km deep · 29 km away
  38. 1.78km SSW of Salton City, CA · 16468 days ago · 3 km deep · 52 km away
  39. 3.28km SSE of Bombay Beach, CA · 16468 days ago · 12 km deep · 52 km away
  40. 2.58km SSE of Bombay Beach, CA · 16468 days ago · 4 km deep · 52 km away
  41. 1.79km SE of Bombay Beach, CA · 16468 days ago · 4 km deep · 52 km away
  42. 2.18km SE of Bombay Beach, CA · 16468 days ago · 1 km deep · 52 km away
  43. 2.08km SSE of Bombay Beach, CA · 16468 days ago · 0 km deep · 52 km away
  44. 2.27km SSW of Salton City, CA · 16468 days ago · 3 km deep · 53 km away
  45. 2.26km SSW of Salton City, CA · 16468 days ago · 4 km deep · 54 km away
  46. 2.57km SSW of Salton City, CA · 16468 days ago · 3 km deep · 53 km away
  47. 2.47km S of Salton City, CA · 16468 days ago · 3 km deep · 53 km away
  48. 1.76km SSW of Salton City, CA · 16468 days ago · 3 km deep · 54 km away
  49. 2.326km WSW of Westmorland, CA · 16467 days ago · 11 km deep · 22 km away
  50. 2.010km SSE of Bombay Beach, CA · 16467 days ago · 4 km deep · 51 km away
  51. 1.510km E of Puebla, B.C., MX · 16467 days ago · 6 km deep · 51 km away
  52. 2.56km SSW of Salton City, CA · 16467 days ago · 5 km deep · 53 km away
  53. 1.57km SSW of Salton City, CA · 16466 days ago · 5 km deep · 53 km away
  54. 1.58km S of Salton City, CA · 16466 days ago · 4 km deep · 51 km away
  55. 1.86km SSW of Salton City, CA · 16466 days ago · 3 km deep · 54 km away
  56. 1.87km S of Salton City, CA · 16466 days ago · 0 km deep · 51 km away
  57. 2.217km ESE of Campo, CA · 16465 days ago · 8 km deep · 65 km away
  58. 1.59km SE of Bombay Beach, CA · 16465 days ago · 2 km deep · 51 km away
  59. 1.69km S of Salton City, CA · 16465 days ago · 1 km deep · 51 km away
  60. 1.75km SSW of Salton City, CA · 16465 days ago · 4 km deep · 54 km away

The first 60 of 163.

Before

  1. 1.716km W of Alberto Oviedo Mota, B.C., MX · 16488 days ago · 6 km deep · 72 km away
  2. 1.813km NNE of Pine Valley, CA · 16489 days ago · 1 km deep · 72 km away
  3. 1.510km NNE of Julian, CA · 16490 days ago · 15 km deep · 87 km away
  4. 1.713km SW of Westmorland, CA · 16490 days ago · 3 km deep · 17 km away
  5. 2.011km NNE of Julian, CA · 16491 days ago · 11 km deep · 89 km away
  6. 1.810km NNE of Borrego Springs, CA · 16491 days ago · 13 km deep · 83 km away
  7. 1.912km N of Delta, B.C., MX · 16493 days ago · 6 km deep · 63 km away
  8. 1.94km NNW of Guadalupe Victoria, B.C., MX · 16493 days ago · 6 km deep · 77 km away
  9. 1.612km SW of Westmorland, CA · 16494 days ago · 10 km deep · 17 km away
  10. 1.56km S of Salton City, CA · 16495 days ago · 3 km deep · 54 km away
  11. 1.54km WNW of Guadalupe Victoria, B.C., MX · 16496 days ago · 6 km deep · 78 km away
  12. 1.54km WSW of Ocotillo Wells, CA · 16496 days ago · 6 km deep · 57 km away
  13. 2.05km WSW of Ocotillo Wells, CA · 16496 days ago · 6 km deep · 56 km away
  14. 1.911km NE of Julian, CA · 16497 days ago · 9 km deep · 85 km away
  15. 3.411km ENE of Julian, CA · 16497 days ago · 10 km deep · 82 km away
  16. 1.96km WSW of Brawley, CA · 16497 days ago · 15 km deep · 19 km away
  17. 1.525km ESE of Ocotillo Wells, CA · 16497 days ago · 9 km deep · 30 km away
  18. 2.19km NW of Delta, B.C., MX · 16499 days ago · 6 km deep · 61 km away
  19. 1.56km NE of Estacion Coahuila, B.C., MX · 16499 days ago · 6 km deep · 94 km away
  20. 1.618km N of Borrego Springs, CA · 16499 days ago · 11 km deep · 93 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci520913 (also filed as usp0001f69). Read Mon, Sep 28, 2026, 9:31 PM UTC.