California earthquakes

M1.6 earthquake 38 km W of Three Rocks, California

A magnitude 1.6 earthquake struck 38 km W of Three Rocks, California on Thu, Sep 17, 1981, 9:42 PM PDT (04:42 UTC), 4 km (3 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M1.8 25 km NW of San Simeon, California. 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
1.6 (md), micro
Local time
UTC
1981-09-18 04:42:57 UTC
Depth
4.2 km (2.6 mi), shallow
Epicenter
36.549° N, 120.816° 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, 2.2 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.26
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
142°
Stations used
19

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 136 in the 60 days after this one and 51 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 1.511 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 16440 days ago · 16 km deep · 45 km away
  2. 1.825 km NW of San Simeon, California · 16440 days ago · 12 km deep · 94 km away
  3. 1.925 km SE of Big Sur, California · 16440 days ago · 9 km deep · 84 km away
  4. 2.424 km ENE of Soledad, California · 16438 days ago · 3 km deep · 24 km away
  5. 3.313 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 16437 days ago · 3 km deep · 44 km away
  6. 2.121 km NE of Soledad, California · 16437 days ago · 4 km deep · 30 km away
  7. 1.926 km SE of Big Sur, California · 16437 days ago · 5 km deep · 84 km away
  8. 2.44 km SW of Tres Pinos, California · 16436 days ago · 9 km deep · 53 km away
  9. 1.82 km E of Tres Pinos, California · 16435 days ago · 8 km deep · 51 km away
  10. 1.720 km W of Volta, California · 16435 days ago · 0 km deep · 67 km away
  11. 2.330 km ENE of Soledad, California · 16435 days ago · 7 km deep · 20 km away
  12. 2.217 km NNW of San Simeon, California · 16434 days ago · 4 km deep · 94 km away
  13. 1.923 km ENE of Soledad, California · 16434 days ago · 3 km deep · 24 km away
  14. 3.23 km S of San Juan Bautista, California · 16434 days ago · 8 km deep · 71 km away
  15. 3.13 km S of San Juan Bautista, California · 16434 days ago · 7 km deep · 70 km away
  16. 1.64 km S of San Juan Bautista, California · 16434 days ago · 7 km deep · 70 km away
  17. 1.9Central California · 16434 days ago · 2 km deep · 54 km away
  18. 1.725 km WSW of Coalinga, California · 16433 days ago · 2 km deep · 56 km away
  19. 2.123 km NE of San Lucas, California · 16433 days ago · 7 km deep · 33 km away
  20. 2.2Central California · 16433 days ago · 6 km deep · 65 km away
  21. 1.84 km SW of Tres Pinos, California · 16433 days ago · 8 km deep · 54 km away
  22. 2.112 km SE of Coalinga, California · 16432 days ago · 9 km deep · 74 km away
  23. 3.014 km SSE of Coalinga, California · 16432 days ago · 0 km deep · 75 km away
  24. 2.118 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 16432 days ago · 5 km deep · 40 km away
  25. 1.75 km SSW of Gilroy, California · 16432 days ago · 4 km deep · 83 km away
  26. 2.49 km NE of Gilroy, California · 16431 days ago · 9 km deep · 83 km away
  27. 1.927 km ENE of King City, California · 16431 days ago · 9 km deep · 23 km away
  28. 2.123 km NE of Soledad, California · 16431 days ago · 9 km deep · 28 km away
  29. 3.131 km NE of Soledad, California · 16430 days ago · 8 km deep · 22 km away
  30. 1.67 km SSE of Gilroy, California · 16430 days ago · 5 km deep · 78 km away
  31. 4.03 km S of San Juan Bautista, California · 16430 days ago · 9 km deep · 71 km away
  32. 1.812 km ESE of Tres Pinos, California · 16430 days ago · 10 km deep · 40 km away
  33. 2.44 km S of San Juan Bautista, California · 16430 days ago · 9 km deep · 70 km away
  34. 1.54 km S of San Juan Bautista, California · 16430 days ago · 8 km deep · 70 km away
  35. 2.34 km S of San Juan Bautista, California · 16430 days ago · 7 km deep · 70 km away
  36. 2.54 km SSE of San Juan Bautista, California · 16430 days ago · 7 km deep · 70 km away
  37. 2.44 km SSE of San Juan Bautista, California · 16430 days ago · 7 km deep · 69 km away
  38. 2.13 km SSW of San Juan Bautista, California · 16429 days ago · 7 km deep · 72 km away
  39. 2.74 km S of San Juan Bautista, California · 16429 days ago · 7 km deep · 70 km away
  40. 1.623 km NE of San Lucas, California · 16428 days ago · 5 km deep · 29 km away
  41. 2.514 km SSW of Lockwood, California · 16428 days ago · 6 km deep · 86 km away
  42. 3.222 km NE of Soledad, California · 16427 days ago · 7 km deep · 34 km away
  43. 1.921 km NE of Soledad, California · 16427 days ago · 6 km deep · 33 km away
  44. 1.813 km S of Tres Pinos, California · 16427 days ago · 3 km deep · 44 km away
  45. 1.621 km NW of Parkfield, California · 16426 days ago · 2 km deep · 60 km away
  46. 1.54 km SSE of Diablo Grande, California · 16425 days ago · 8 km deep · 99 km away
  47. 1.921 km NE of Soledad, California · 16424 days ago · 6 km deep · 33 km away
  48. 2.33 km S of San Juan Bautista, California · 16423 days ago · 7 km deep · 71 km away
  49. 2.010 km SW of Ridgemark, California · 16423 days ago · 10 km deep · 62 km away
  50. 2.08 km W of Huron, California · 16422 days ago · 9 km deep · 67 km away
  51. 2.123 km ENE of Soledad, California · 16422 days ago · 5 km deep · 25 km away
  52. 2.227 km E of Tres Pinos, California · 16421 days ago · 3 km deep · 28 km away
  53. 1.94 km SSE of San Juan Bautista, California · 16421 days ago · 7 km deep · 70 km away
  54. 1.621 km NE of Soledad, California · 16421 days ago · 3 km deep · 30 km away
  55. 1.57 km WSW of Ridgemark, California · 16420 days ago · 9 km deep · 62 km away
  56. 1.67 km WSW of Ridgemark, California · 16420 days ago · 9 km deep · 63 km away
  57. 1.625 km NE of Greenfield, California · 16420 days ago · 1 km deep · 20 km away
  58. 1.66 km SW of Gilroy, California · 16420 days ago · 5 km deep · 86 km away
  59. 2.013 km S of Tres Pinos, California · 16420 days ago · 2 km deep · 45 km away
  60. 2.07 km WSW of Ridgemark, California · 16420 days ago · 9 km deep · 63 km away

The first 60 of 136.

Before

  1. 1.69 km SSW of Tres Pinos, California · 16441 days ago · 2 km deep · 51 km away
  2. 2.54 km SW of Tres Pinos, California · 16441 days ago · 9 km deep · 53 km away
  3. 1.514 km NW of San Simeon, California · 16441 days ago · 8 km deep · 99 km away
  4. 2.718 km NNW of San Simeon, California · 16441 days ago · 6 km deep · 94 km away
  5. 2.7Near the coast of Central California · 16442 days ago · 10 km deep · 96 km away
  6. 3.117 km NNW of San Simeon, California · 16442 days ago · 7 km deep · 94 km away
  7. 2.015 km NW of Parkfield, California · 16443 days ago · 4 km deep · 66 km away
  8. 1.65 km SW of Ridgemark, California · 16444 days ago · 9 km deep · 58 km away
  9. 2.113 km S of Tres Pinos, California · 16444 days ago · 3 km deep · 45 km away
  10. 3.313 km S of Tres Pinos, California · 16444 days ago · 4 km deep · 45 km away
  11. 2.742 km W of Lockwood, California · 16445 days ago · 10 km deep · 98 km away
  12. 2.67 km W of Gilroy, California · 16445 days ago · 4 km deep · 90 km away
  13. 1.77 km ESE of Prunedale, California · 16445 days ago · 8 km deep · 73 km away
  14. 1.638 km W of Lockwood, California · 16445 days ago · 5 km deep · 91 km away
  15. 1.940 km W of Lockwood, California · 16446 days ago · 13 km deep · 96 km away
  16. 1.840 km W of Lockwood, California · 16446 days ago · 6 km deep · 94 km away
  17. 2.541 km W of Lockwood, California · 16446 days ago · 10 km deep · 97 km away
  18. 2.744 km NW of San Simeon, California · 16446 days ago · 8 km deep · 100 km away
  19. 3.09 km NE of San Martin, California · 16446 days ago · 8 km deep · 93 km away
  20. 1.737 km W of Three Rocks, California · 16447 days ago · 3 km deep · 1 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1067752. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 3:48 PM UTC.