California earthquakes

M1.9 earthquake 14 km WSW of Three Rocks, California

A magnitude 1.9 earthquake struck 14 km WSW of Three Rocks, California on Sat, Dec 19, 1981, 7:44 AM PST (15:44 UTC), 14 km (8 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M2.3 24 km NE of Greenfield, 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
1.9 (md), micro
Local time
UTC
1981-12-19 15:44:35 UTC
Depth
13.7 km (8.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
36.475° N, 120.549° 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 0.8 km horizontally, 1.0 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.32
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
221°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
16

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 123 in the 60 days after this one and 57 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 123.

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1070449. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:27 PM UTC.