California earthquakes

M3.0 earthquake 10 km ESE of Mammoth Lakes, California

A magnitude 3.0 earthquake struck 10 km ESE of Mammoth Lakes, California on Wed, Nov 18, 1981, 5:46 PM PST (01:46 UTC), 4 km (3 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.1 12 km SE of Mammoth Lakes, 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: 3.0 (md), micro
Local time: Wed, Nov 18, 1981, 5:46 PM PST
UTC: 1981-11-19 01:46:55 UTC
Depth: 4.5 km (2.8 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 37.622° N, 118.863° 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 0.3 km horizontally, 0.6 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.23
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 177°
Stations used: 12

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 72 in the 60 days after this one and 36 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 72.

Before

Earthquakes today California earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1069558 (also filed as ci527196). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:46 PM UTC.