California earthquakes

M3.4 earthquake 4 km SE of Mesa, California

A magnitude 3.4 earthquake struck 4 km SE of Mesa, California on Mon, Oct 26, 1981, 6:58 AM PST (14:58 UTC), 11 km (7 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.5 7 km W of Aspen Springs, 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: 3.4 (md), minor
Local time: Mon, Oct 26, 1981, 6:58 AM PST
UTC: 1981-10-26 14:58:00 UTC
Depth: 10.9 km (6.8 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 37.386° N, 118.507° 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 0.4 km horizontally, 0.8 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.12
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 163°
Stations used: 16

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 85 in the 60 days after this one and 114 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 85.

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1068945 (also filed as usp0001gpe, ci526185). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 3:56 PM UTC.