California earthquakes

M2.2 earthquake 16km NNE of Pine Valley, CA

A magnitude 2.2 earthquake struck 16km NNE of Pine Valley, CA on Sat, Sep 19, 1981, 7:59 AM PDT (14:59 UTC), 9 km (5 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M2.6 10km NNE of Ocotillo Wells, CA. 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
2.2 (ml), micro
Local time
UTC
1981-09-19 14:59:48 UTC
Depth
8.6 km (5.4 mi), shallow
Epicenter
32.942° N, 116.439° 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, 1.5 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.09
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
81°
Stations used
40

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 148 in the 60 days after this one and 35 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 148.

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci523270. Read Wed, Sep 23, 2026, 2:06 PM UTC.