California earthquakes

M1.8 earthquake 39km W of La Jolla, CA

A magnitude 1.8 earthquake struck 39km W of La Jolla, CA on Mon, Dec 7, 1981, 9:29 AM PST (17:29 UTC), 5 km (3 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M2.0 14km NW of San Clemente Is. (NW tip), 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
1.8 (mh), micro
Local time
UTC
1981-12-07 17:29:29 UTC
Depth
5.2 km (3.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter
32.809° N, 117.693° 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 1.4 km horizontally, 31.6 km in depth
Depth from
Operator assigned
Station coverage gap
95°
Stations used
10

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 18 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 2.014km NW of San Clemente Is. (NW tip), CA · 16356 days ago · 6 km deep · 100 km away
  2. 2.432km SSW of Dana Point, CA · 16353 days ago · 6 km deep · 49 km away
  3. 3.354km W of Rosarito, B.C., MX · 16353 days ago · 6 km deep · 61 km away
  4. 1.83km NE of Laguna Niguel, CA · 16348 days ago · 7 km deep · 82 km away
  5. 1.929km SSW of Dana Point, CA · 16339 days ago · 6 km deep · 49 km away
  6. 1.830km SSW of Dana Point, CA · 16339 days ago · 6 km deep · 47 km away
  7. 2.331km SSW of Dana Point, CA · 16339 days ago · 6 km deep · 47 km away
  8. 2.044km WSW of Carlsbad, CA · 16332 days ago · 5 km deep · 20 km away
  9. 2.243km WSW of Carlsbad, CA · 16326 days ago · 6 km deep · 21 km away
  10. 2.148km ENE of San Clemente Is. (SE tip), CA · 16326 days ago · 6 km deep · 23 km away
  11. 2.948km WSW of Carlsbad, CA · 16321 days ago · 6 km deep · 21 km away
  12. 2.344km WSW of Carlsbad, CA · 16318 days ago · 5 km deep · 17 km away
  13. 2.78km SSE of Palomar Observatory, CA · 16312 days ago · 13 km deep · 95 km away
  14. 2.223km SW of Newport Beach, CA · 16310 days ago · 6 km deep · 83 km away
  15. 2.65km WNW of Primo Tapia, B.C., MX · 16309 days ago · 5 km deep · 93 km away

Before

  1. 2.012km WSW of Imperial Beach, CA · 16363 days ago · 5 km deep · 51 km away
  2. 1.62km WNW of Costa Mesa, CA · 16372 days ago · 5 km deep · 98 km away
  3. 1.610km WSW of Tecate, B.C., MX · 16373 days ago · 4 km deep · 94 km away
  4. 1.831km SSW of Dana Point, CA · 16377 days ago · 6 km deep · 47 km away
  5. 2.733km SSW of Dana Point, CA · 16377 days ago · 6 km deep · 45 km away
  6. 1.66km SE of Temecula, CA · 16378 days ago · 8 km deep · 91 km away
  7. 1.95km SE of Temecula, CA · 16379 days ago · 7 km deep · 91 km away
  8. 1.85km SE of Temecula, CA · 16379 days ago · 7 km deep · 91 km away
  9. 1.65km ESE of Temecula, CA · 16381 days ago · 6 km deep · 92 km away
  10. 2.337km SE of San Clemente Is. (SE tip), CA · 16383 days ago · 6 km deep · 38 km away
  11. 1.546km WSW of Encinitas, CA · 16384 days ago · 5 km deep · 13 km away
  12. 2.21km W of Irvine, CA · 16386 days ago · 4 km deep · 98 km away
  13. 2.02km NE of Irvine, CA · 16387 days ago · 3 km deep · 99 km away
  14. 2.614km WNW of Camp Pendleton South, CA · 16388 days ago · 6 km deep · 52 km away
  15. 1.613km WNW of Camp Pendleton South, CA · 16389 days ago · 10 km deep · 52 km away
  16. 2.810km S of Avalon, CA · 16389 days ago · 9 km deep · 76 km away
  17. 1.813km WNW of Camp Pendleton South, CA · 16389 days ago · 7 km deep · 52 km away
  18. 1.512km WNW of Camp Pendleton South, CA · 16390 days ago · 14 km deep · 54 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci102728. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 12:15 PM UTC.