California earthquakes

M1.9 earthquake 10 km SSW of Markleeville, California

A magnitude 1.9 earthquake struck 10 km SSW of Markleeville, California on Sun, Dec 6, 1981, 12:37 AM PST (08:37 UTC), 0 km (0 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M2.6 18 km ESE of Long Barn, 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
1.9 (md), micro
Local time
UTC
1981-12-06 08:37:47 UTC
Depth
-0.3 km (-0.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter
38.607° N, 119.839° 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, 3.0 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.05
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
279°, poorly surrounded by stations
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: 12 in the 60 days after this one and 1 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 2.618 km ESE of Long Barn, California · 16357 days ago · 36 km deep · 68 km away
  2. 2.118 km WNW of Bridgeport, California · 16355 days ago · 8 km deep · 49 km away
  3. 1.914 km N of Buck Meadows, California · 16354 days ago · 32 km deep · 76 km away
  4. 2.0Northern California · 16345 days ago · 6 km deep · 91 km away
  5. 2.310 km SE of Markleeville, California · 16329 days ago · 0 km deep · 13 km away
  6. 2.17 km SW of Topaz Lake, Nevada · 16321 days ago · 6 km deep · 21 km away
  7. 2.220 km WNW of Bridgeport, California · 16313 days ago · 6 km deep · 48 km away
  8. 2.17 km SW of Topaz Lake, Nevada · 16313 days ago · 17 km deep · 21 km away
  9. 2.81 km SW of Mesa Vista, California · 16310 days ago · 5 km deep · 22 km away
  10. 2.815 km WSW of Lee Vining, California · 16308 days ago · 4 km deep · 90 km away
  11. 2.59 km SSW of Markleeville, California · 16307 days ago · 2 km deep · 1 km away
  12. 2.97 km SSW of Markleeville, California · 16305 days ago · -2 km deep · 4 km away

Before

  1. 2.17 km N of Truckee, California · 16387 days ago · 22 km deep · 93 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1070048. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:46 PM UTC.