California earthquakes

M1.6 earthquake 14 km ESE of Pine Hills, California

A magnitude 1.6 earthquake struck 14 km ESE of Pine Hills, California on Wed, Dec 30, 1981, 10:59 PM PST (06:59 UTC), 23 km (14 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M2.6 9 km WSW of Indianola, California. This one was a foreshock.

Pine Hills forecast More in California

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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: 1.6 (md), micro
Local time: Wed, Dec 30, 1981, 10:59 PM PST
UTC: 1981-12-31 06:59:50 UTC
Depth: 23.0 km (14.3 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 40.686° N, 123.988° 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, 0.7 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.13
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 85°
Stations used: 15

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 106 in the 60 days after this one and 48 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 106.

Before

Earthquakes today California earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1070837. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:52 AM UTC.