California earthquakes

M1.7 earthquake 32 km W of Three Rocks, California

A magnitude 1.7 earthquake struck 32 km W of Three Rocks, California on Sat, Oct 10, 1981, 2:57 PM PDT (21:57 UTC), 12 km (8 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M2.1 Central 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
1.7 (md), micro
Local time
UTC
1981-10-10 21:57:42 UTC
Depth
12.1 km (7.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
36.546° N, 120.747° 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 0.3 km horizontally, 0.7 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.18
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
177°
Stations used
22

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 114 in the 60 days after this one and 74 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 114.

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1068504. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:27 PM UTC.