California earthquakes

M2.5 earthquake 6km SE of Temecula, CA

A magnitude 2.5 earthquake struck 6km SE of Temecula, CA on Mon, Sep 14, 1981, 2:54 AM PDT (09:54 UTC), 6 km (4 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.3 10km NE of Aguanga, 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
2.5 (ml), micro
Local time
UTC
1981-09-14 09:54:10 UTC
Depth
5.7 km (3.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
33.450° N, 117.103° 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 0.4 km horizontally, 1.2 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.09
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
53°
Stations used
52

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 159 in the 60 days after this one and 112 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 159.

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci522961. Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 7:11 PM UTC.