California earthquakes

M2.1 earthquake 3 km SW of Loleta, California

A magnitude 2.1 earthquake struck 3 km SW of Loleta, California on Sun, Apr 19, 1981, 3:56 AM PST (11:56 UTC), 21 km (13 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.6 58 km WSW of Ferndale, California. This one was a foreshock.

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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
2.1 (Md, duration), micro
Magnitude from
Northern California Seismic System
Local time
UTC
1981-04-19 11:56:23 UTC
Depth
20.7 km (12.9 mi), shallow
Epicenter
40.617° N, 124.257° 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 0.9 km horizontally, 0.4 km in depth
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
222°, poorly surrounded by stations
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: 182 in the 60 days after this one and 96 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 182.

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1062734. Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 5:19 AM UTC.