California earthquakes

M1.8 earthquake 50km W of Shoshone, CA

A magnitude 1.8 earthquake struck 50km W of Shoshone, CA on Mon, Sep 7, 1981, 10:45 PM PDT (05:45 UTC), 5 km (3 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M2.6 16km SSW of Searles Valley, 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
1.8 (mc), micro
Local time
UTC
1981-09-08 05:45:04 UTC
Depth
4.9 km (3.1 mi), shallow
Epicenter
35.934° N, 116.821° 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 2.6 km horizontally, 31.6 km in depth
Depth from
Operator assigned
Station coverage gap
251°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
7

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 19 in the 60 days after this one and 14 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci522652. Read Wed, Sep 23, 2026, 2:06 PM UTC.