California earthquakes

M1.9 earthquake 4km SW of Niland, CA

A magnitude 1.9 earthquake struck 4km SW of Niland, CA on Tue, Apr 28, 1981, 11:44 AM PDT (18:44 UTC), 2 km (1 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.6 6km SSW of Salton City, CA. This one was a foreshock.

Niland forecastMore in California

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
1.9 (mh), micro
Local time
UTC
1981-04-28 18:44:29 UTC
Depth
2.3 km (1.4 mi), shallow
Epicenter
33.218° N, 115.554° 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 0.5 km horizontally, 0.9 km in depth
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
59°
Stations used
17

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 191 in the 60 days after this one and at least 200 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 191.

Before

Earthquakes todayCalifornia earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci517039. Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 3:59 PM UTC.