California earthquakes

M2.1 earthquake 4 km SE of Palermo, California

A magnitude 2.1 earthquake struck 4 km SE of Palermo, California on Wed, Apr 8, 1981, 10:14 AM PST (18:14 UTC), 6 km (4 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.2 7 km SW of Artois, California. This one was a foreshock.

Palermo 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
2.1 (md), micro
Local time
UTC
1981-04-08 18:14:47 UTC
Depth
6.0 km (3.8 mi), shallow
Epicenter
39.402° N, 121.501° 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 0.3 km horizontally, 1.0 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.17
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
97°
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: 28 in the 60 days after this one and 15 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 1.85 km SE of Palermo, California · 16610 days ago · 6 km deep · 0 km away
  2. 1.810 km SE of Mineral, California · 16606 days ago · 6 km deep · 98 km away
  3. 2.19 km SE of Mineral, California · 16606 days ago · 3 km deep · 98 km away
  4. 2.013 km SW of Kingvale, California · 16603 days ago · 16 km deep · 85 km away
  5. 2.45 km SE of Palermo, California · 16599 days ago · 6 km deep · 1 km away
  6. 2.27 km WNW of Sierra City, California · 16594 days ago · 10 km deep · 70 km away
  7. 2.06 km ESE of Butte Meadows, California · 16592 days ago · 5 km deep · 74 km away
  8. 1.75 km WNW of Bangor, California · 16591 days ago · 6 km deep · 3 km away
  9. 1.612 km S of Guinda, California · 16588 days ago · 4 km deep · 96 km away
  10. 2.413 km SSW of Lake Almanor West, California · 16587 days ago · 5 km deep · 84 km away
  11. 3.27 km SW of Artois, California · 16581 days ago · 19 km deep · 68 km away
  12. 1.913 km WSW of Maxwell, California · 16579 days ago · -1 km deep · 74 km away
  13. 1.916 km WSW of Williams, California · 16577 days ago · 2 km deep · 79 km away
  14. 2.314 km S of Guinda, California · 16575 days ago · 4 km deep · 100 km away
  15. 2.70 km WSW of Clipper Mills, California · 16574 days ago · 11 km deep · 32 km away
  16. 2.53 km SW of Clipper Mills, California · 16572 days ago · 12 km deep · 30 km away
  17. 1.71 km NNW of Lincoln, California · 16568 days ago · 6 km deep · 58 km away
  18. 2.50 km SSW of Clipper Mills, California · 16567 days ago · 12 km deep · 33 km away
  19. 1.912 km WSW of Chester, California · 16567 days ago · 1 km deep · 95 km away
  20. 2.013 km SW of Lake Almanor West, California · 16566 days ago · 8 km deep · 87 km away
  21. 1.72 km W of Nord, California · 16566 days ago · 20 km deep · 59 km away
  22. 2.91 km SW of Clipper Mills, California · 16563 days ago · 14 km deep · 31 km away
  23. 2.015 km NNW of Guinda, California · 16556 days ago · 9 km deep · 81 km away
  24. 1.63 km ESE of Palermo, California · 16554 days ago · 3 km deep · 3 km away
  25. 2.4Northern California · 16553 days ago · 13 km deep · 90 km away
  26. 2.510 km SW of Spring Garden, California · 16552 days ago · -1 km deep · 72 km away
  27. 2.114 km NNW of Guinda, California · 16552 days ago · 8 km deep · 82 km away
  28. 2.14 km NNW of Dobbins, California · 16552 days ago · 22 km deep · 24 km away

Before

  1. 3.35 km NE of Canyondam, California · 16611 days ago · 15 km deep · 98 km away
  2. 2.212 km SE of Paskenta, California · 16617 days ago · 10 km deep · 92 km away
  3. 1.84 km NW of Tobin, California · 16620 days ago · 3 km deep · 64 km away
  4. 1.69 km WNW of Plumas Eureka (historical), California · 16625 days ago · 7 km deep · 75 km away
  5. 2.711 km N of Princeton, California · 16626 days ago · 19 km deep · 45 km away
  6. 2.37 km SSW of Hamilton City, California · 16634 days ago · 18 km deep · 55 km away
  7. 3.04 km NW of Lincoln, California · 16634 days ago · 9 km deep · 56 km away
  8. 2.34 km SE of Palermo, California · 16634 days ago · 8 km deep · 1 km away
  9. 2.74 km NW of Lincoln, California · 16634 days ago · 10 km deep · 56 km away
  10. 1.63 km SSW of Soda Springs, California · 16636 days ago · 15 km deep · 96 km away
  11. 2.49 km SW of Lake Almanor West, California · 16636 days ago · 4 km deep · 88 km away
  12. 1.89 km SE of Alta, California · 16637 days ago · 0 km deep · 71 km away
  13. 2.7Northern California · 16638 days ago · 7 km deep · 1 km away
  14. 1.9Northern California · 16638 days ago · 17 km deep · 45 km away
  15. 2.34 km SSW of Prattville, California · 16638 days ago · -1 km deep · 90 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1062282. Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 6:51 PM UTC.