M1.5 earthquake 15km NW of Tehachapi, CA

Magnitude

1.5 (mc), micro

Local time

Wed, Sep 16, 1981, 7:27 AM PDT

UTC

1981-09-16 14:27:30 UTC

Depth

6.6 km (4.1 mi), shallow

Epicenter

35.227° N, 118.568° W

Region

California

Tsunami flag

No

Status

Reviewed by a seismologist

Location uncertainty

About 0.7 km horizontally, 2.0 km in depth

Depth from

From location

Station coverage gap

104°

Stations used

7

• Bear Valley Springs, CaliforniaPopulation 5,172. Forecast9 kmNE
• Tehachapi, CaliforniaPopulation 13,021. Forecast15 kmNW
• Bakersfield, CaliforniaPopulation 373,640. Forecast44 kmESE
• Los Angeles, CaliforniaPopulation 3,820,914. Forecast134 kmNNW

After

1. 1.722km NW of Grapevine, CAWed, Sep 16, 7:01 PM PDT · 16442 days ago · 0 km deep · 54 km away
2. 1.510km ENE of Pine Mountain Club, CAWed, Sep 16, 10:58 PM PDT · 16442 days ago · 7 km deep · 57 km away
3. 1.616km NW of Tehachapi, CASat, Sep 19, 2:25 AM PDT · 16440 days ago · 6 km deep · 1 km away
4. 1.83km WNW of Bakersfield, CASat, Sep 19, 10:42 PM PDT · 16439 days ago · 5 km deep · 47 km away
5. 1.94km SSW of Valencia, CAWed, Sep 23, 4:41 AM PDT · 16436 days ago · 14 km deep · 89 km away
6. 1.54km SW of Valencia, CAWed, Sep 23, 11:05 PM PDT · 16435 days ago · 17 km deep · 89 km away
7. 1.715km NE of Boron, CAThu, Sep 24, 7:56 PM PDT · 16434 days ago · 5 km deep · 97 km away
8. 2.54km SSW of Valencia, CAFri, Sep 25, 5:18 PM PDT · 16434 days ago · 10 km deep · 89 km away
9. 1.523km NW of Grapevine, CASat, Sep 26, 7:33 PM PDT · 16432 days ago · 12 km deep · 55 km away
10. 1.918km WNW of Johannesburg, CASat, Sep 26, 11:44 PM PDT · 16432 days ago · -1 km deep · 70 km away
11. 1.95km ENE of Lamont, CASun, Sep 27, 3:45 PM PDT · 16432 days ago · 5 km deep · 27 km away
12. 1.712km NNE of Inyokern, CAMon, Sep 28, 2:48 AM PDT · 16431 days ago · 4 km deep · 94 km away
13. 1.627km SSW of Bodfish, CAMon, Sep 28, 9:57 PM PDT · 16430 days ago · 5 km deep · 14 km away
14. 1.619km SSW of Little Lake, CATue, Sep 29, 7:56 AM PDT · 16430 days ago · 3 km deep · 80 km away
15. 1.56km ESE of Bodfish, CATue, Sep 29, 10:30 PM PDT · 16429 days ago · 3 km deep · 39 km away
16. 1.928km ESE of Lake Isabella, CATue, Sep 29, 11:10 PM PDT · 16429 days ago · 5 km deep · 50 km away
17. 1.54km SSW of Valencia, CAWed, Sep 30, 7:06 PM PDT · 16428 days ago · 16 km deep · 90 km away
18. 1.916km ESE of Pixley, CAThu, Oct 1, 7:08 PM PDT · 16427 days ago · 5 km deep · 90 km away
19. 1.515km ESE of Arvin, CASun, Oct 4, 3:54 AM PDT · 16425 days ago · 6 km deep · 11 km away
20. 1.818km N of California City, CAWed, Oct 7, 8:08 PM PDT · 16421 days ago · 4 km deep · 51 km away
21. 1.616km NNW of Pine Mountain Club, CAFri, Oct 9, 9:15 AM PDT · 16420 days ago · 2 km deep · 62 km away
22. 1.813km NNW of Mojave, CAFri, Oct 9, 7:42 PM PDT · 16419 days ago · 5 km deep · 34 km away
23. 2.423km W of Johannesburg, CASat, Oct 10, 8:53 AM PDT · 16419 days ago · 1 km deep · 64 km away
24. 2.013km NNW of Mojave, CASun, Oct 11, 3:40 AM PDT · 16418 days ago · 5 km deep · 33 km away
25. 2.07km SE of Santa Clarita, CAWed, Oct 14, 3:56 AM PDT · 16415 days ago · 11 km deep · 95 km away
26. 1.82km NNE of Grapevine, CAFri, Oct 16, 4:54 AM PDT · 16413 days ago · 13 km deep · 44 km away
27. 2.313km SSE of Bodfish, CASat, Oct 17, 4:03 AM PDT · 16412 days ago · 2 km deep · 30 km away
28. 1.812km NNE of Grapevine, CASat, Oct 17, 8:47 PM PDT · 16411 days ago · 3 km deep · 36 km away
29. 2.728km N of California City, CAMon, Oct 19, 6:19 AM PDT · 16410 days ago · 1 km deep · 59 km away
30. 1.923km ENE of Arvin, CAMon, Oct 19, 6:37 AM PDT · 16410 days ago · 4 km deep · 11 km away
31. 2.018km SSE of Arvin, CAWed, Oct 21, 3:29 AM PDT · 16408 days ago · 3 km deep · 24 km away
32. 2.116km N of Mojave, CAThu, Oct 22, 12:17 AM PDT · 16407 days ago · 5 km deep · 37 km away
33. 2.023km NW of Tehachapi, CAThu, Oct 22, 3:18 AM PDT · 16407 days ago · 5 km deep · 9 km away
34. 2.830km ESE of Lake Isabella, CAThu, Oct 22, 4:35 PM PDT · 16407 days ago · -1 km deep · 50 km away
35. 1.517km SSW of Lamont, CASun, Oct 25, 1:53 AM PST · 16404 days ago · 5 km deep · 40 km away
36. 1.517km SSW of Lamont, CASun, Oct 25, 1:53 AM PST · 16404 days ago · 5 km deep · 42 km away
37. 1.618km SE of Bodfish, CASun, Oct 25, 6:31 AM PST · 16404 days ago · 5 km deep · 34 km away
38. 1.59km WNW of Pine Mountain Club, CATue, Oct 27, 6:16 AM PST · 16402 days ago · 9 km deep · 73 km away
39. 3.06km N of Granada Hills, CAWed, Oct 28, 6:17 AM PST · 16401 days ago · 4 km deep · 100 km away
40. 1.88km NNW of Granada Hills, CAWed, Oct 28, 6:41 AM PST · 16401 days ago · 3 km deep · 99 km away
41. 1.77km NNW of Granada Hills, CAWed, Oct 28, 12:04 PM PST · 16401 days ago · 9 km deep · 100 km away
42. 2.418km ESE of Maricopa, CAFri, Oct 30, 3:50 AM PST · 16399 days ago · 5 km deep · 63 km away
43. 1.625km ENE of Arvin, CASat, Oct 31, 3:33 AM PST · 16398 days ago · 5 km deep · 12 km away
44. 1.618km NNW of Mojave, CASat, Oct 31, 11:35 PM PST · 16397 days ago · 5 km deep · 31 km away
45. 2.217km NNE of Inyokern, CATue, Nov 3, 6:22 AM PST · 16395 days ago · 3 km deep · 99 km away
46. 2.317km NNE of Inyokern, CATue, Nov 3, 1:58 PM PST · 16395 days ago · 4 km deep · 99 km away
47. 1.717km NNE of Inyokern, CATue, Nov 3, 2:01 PM PST · 16395 days ago · 7 km deep · 98 km away
48. 1.719km NW of Grapevine, CAWed, Nov 4, 12:24 AM PST · 16394 days ago · 5 km deep · 48 km away
49. 1.512km W of Grapevine, CAWed, Nov 4, 5:59 AM PST · 16394 days ago · 5 km deep · 54 km away
50. 1.514km ESE of Bodfish, CAWed, Nov 4, 12:31 PM PST · 16394 days ago · 5 km deep · 38 km away
51. 1.69km NNW of Grapevine, CAWed, Nov 4, 8:45 PM PST · 16393 days ago · 3 km deep · 42 km away
52. 2.024km W of Johannesburg, CAThu, Nov 5, 2:23 AM PST · 16393 days ago · 6 km deep · 62 km away
53. 2.120km ENE of Arvin, CAThu, Nov 5, 4:22 AM PST · 16393 days ago · 5 km deep · 6 km away
54. 2.57km NW of Castaic, CASat, Nov 7, 6:20 AM PST · 16391 days ago · 4 km deep · 79 km away
55. 2.119km SSW of Little Lake, CASat, Nov 7, 7:52 AM PST · 16391 days ago · 4 km deep · 80 km away
56. 1.521km NW of Grapevine, CASat, Nov 7, 4:55 PM PST · 16391 days ago · -2 km deep · 52 km away
57. 2.07km ESE of Bodfish, CASat, Nov 7, 6:40 PM PST · 16390 days ago · 6 km deep · 39 km away
58. 1.718km NW of Tehachapi, CAMon, Nov 9, 6:03 AM PST · 16389 days ago · 3 km deep · 4 km away
59. 1.59km E of Piru, CAMon, Nov 9, 11:38 AM PST · 16389 days ago · 14 km deep · 91 km away
60. 2.39km E of Piru, CAMon, Nov 9, 11:40 AM PST · 16389 days ago · 2 km deep · 91 km away

The first 60 of 95.

Before

1. 1.511km SE of Tehachapi, CATue, Sep 15, 6:51 PM PDT · 16443 days ago · 5 km deep · 26 km away
2. 1.65km WNW of Little Lake, CATue, Sep 15, 5:02 AM PDT · 16444 days ago · 4 km deep · 98 km away
3. 2.120km WNW of Inyokern, CAWed, Sep 9, 10:42 AM PDT · 16450 days ago · 1 km deep · 75 km away

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci523071. Read Wed, Sep 23, 2026, 12:59 PM UTC.