California earthquakes

M2.0 earthquake 13 km SW of Kingvale, California

A magnitude 2.0 earthquake struck 13 km SW of Kingvale, California on Thu, Apr 16, 1981, 6:52 PM PST (02:52 UTC), 16 km (10 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M2.4 5 km SE of Palermo, 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
2.0 (md), micro
Local time
UTC
1981-04-17 02:52:44 UTC
Depth
15.9 km (9.9 mi), shallow
Epicenter
39.229° N, 120.534° 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 1.7 km horizontally, 1.8 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.09
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
234°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
18

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 15 in the 60 days after this one and 19 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 2.45 km SE of Palermo, California · 16591 days ago · 6 km deep · 85 km away
  2. 2.27 km WNW of Sierra City, California · 16586 days ago · 10 km deep · 42 km away
  3. 1.75 km WNW of Bangor, California · 16583 days ago · 6 km deep · 83 km away
  4. 4.210 km WSW of Virginia City, Nevada · 16582 days ago · 10 km deep · 66 km away
  5. 2.70 km WSW of Clipper Mills, California · 16566 days ago · 11 km deep · 64 km away
  6. 2.53 km SW of Clipper Mills, California · 16564 days ago · 12 km deep · 64 km away
  7. 1.71 km NNW of Lincoln, California · 16560 days ago · 6 km deep · 75 km away
  8. 2.50 km SSW of Clipper Mills, California · 16559 days ago · 12 km deep · 63 km away
  9. 2.91 km SW of Clipper Mills, California · 16555 days ago · 14 km deep · 64 km away
  10. 1.63 km ESE of Palermo, California · 16546 days ago · 3 km deep · 86 km away
  11. 2.4Northern California · 16545 days ago · 13 km deep · 5 km away
  12. 2.510 km SW of Spring Garden, California · 16544 days ago · -1 km deep · 72 km away
  13. 2.14 km NNW of Dobbins, California · 16544 days ago · 22 km deep · 62 km away
  14. 2.75 km SSW of Truckee, California · 16543 days ago · 14 km deep · 29 km away
  15. 3.24 km E of Sierraville, California · 16539 days ago · 4 km deep · 45 km away

Before

  1. 1.711 km NW of Truckee, California · 16597 days ago · 4 km deep · 29 km away
  2. 2.218 km ENE of Pollock Pines, California · 16599 days ago · 3 km deep · 45 km away
  3. 1.85 km SE of Palermo, California · 16601 days ago · 6 km deep · 85 km away
  4. 2.14 km SE of Palermo, California · 16603 days ago · 6 km deep · 85 km away
  5. 2.48 km NW of Truckee, California · 16603 days ago · 13 km deep · 30 km away
  6. 2.110 km NW of Truckee, California · 16608 days ago · 12 km deep · 31 km away
  7. 3.19 km NNW of Truckee, California · 16608 days ago · 9 km deep · 34 km away
  8. 2.08 km WNW of Truckee, California · 16610 days ago · 25 km deep · 26 km away
  9. 2.99 km NW of Truckee, California · 16614 days ago · 14 km deep · 28 km away
  10. 1.710 km NNW of Truckee, California · 16614 days ago · 13 km deep · 31 km away
  11. 2.39 km NNW of Truckee, California · 16614 days ago · 11 km deep · 33 km away
  12. 3.88 km NNW of Truckee, California · 16614 days ago · 5 km deep · 34 km away
  13. 2.39 km NNW of Truckee, California · 16614 days ago · 14 km deep · 32 km away
  14. 2.29 km NNW of Truckee, California · 16614 days ago · 12 km deep · 34 km away
  15. 2.011 km N of Truckee, California · 16614 days ago · 7 km deep · 38 km away
  16. 2.011 km NNW of Truckee, California · 16614 days ago · 11 km deep · 32 km away
  17. 2.211 km NW of Truckee, California · 16614 days ago · 7 km deep · 30 km away
  18. 3.58 km NNW of Truckee, California · 16614 days ago · 9 km deep · 32 km away
  19. 1.69 km WNW of Plumas Eureka (historical), California · 16617 days ago · 7 km deep · 68 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1062632. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 4:04 PM UTC.