California earthquakes

M3.1 earthquake 9 km NNW of Truckee, California

A magnitude 3.1 earthquake struck 9 km NNW of Truckee, California on Fri, Apr 3, 1981, 12:06 AM PST (08:06 UTC), 9 km (5 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.2 10 km WSW of Virginia City, Nevada. This one was a foreshock.

Truckee forecastMore in California

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
3.1 (ml), minor
Local time
UTC
1981-04-03 08:06:22 UTC
Depth
8.6 km (5.4 mi), shallow
Epicenter
39.409° N, 120.213° 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 2.1 km horizontally, 2.1 km in depth
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
254°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
27

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 11 in the 60 days after this one and 18 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 2.110 km NW of Truckee, California · 16608 days ago · 12 km deep · 4 km away
  2. 2.48 km NW of Truckee, California · 16603 days ago · 13 km deep · 5 km away
  3. 2.218 km ENE of Pollock Pines, California · 16599 days ago · 3 km deep · 66 km away
  4. 1.711 km NW of Truckee, California · 16596 days ago · 4 km deep · 5 km away
  5. 2.013 km SW of Kingvale, California · 16595 days ago · 16 km deep · 34 km away
  6. 2.27 km WNW of Sierra City, California · 16586 days ago · 10 km deep · 47 km away
  7. 4.210 km WSW of Virginia City, Nevada · 16582 days ago · 10 km deep · 41 km away
  8. 2.70 km WSW of Clipper Mills, California · 16566 days ago · 11 km deep · 83 km away
  9. 2.53 km SW of Clipper Mills, California · 16564 days ago · 12 km deep · 84 km away
  10. 2.50 km SSW of Clipper Mills, California · 16559 days ago · 12 km deep · 82 km away
  11. 2.91 km SW of Clipper Mills, California · 16555 days ago · 14 km deep · 84 km away

Before

  1. 2.08 km WNW of Truckee, California · 16610 days ago · 25 km deep · 9 km away
  2. 2.99 km NW of Truckee, California · 16614 days ago · 14 km deep · 6 km away
  3. 1.710 km NNW of Truckee, California · 16614 days ago · 13 km deep · 3 km away
  4. 2.39 km NNW of Truckee, California · 16614 days ago · 11 km deep · 2 km away
  5. 3.88 km NNW of Truckee, California · 16614 days ago · 5 km deep · 1 km away
  6. 2.39 km NNW of Truckee, California · 16614 days ago · 14 km deep · 2 km away
  7. 2.29 km NNW of Truckee, California · 16614 days ago · 12 km deep · 0 km away
  8. 2.011 km N of Truckee, California · 16614 days ago · 7 km deep · 4 km away
  9. 2.011 km NNW of Truckee, California · 16614 days ago · 11 km deep · 4 km away
  10. 2.211 km NW of Truckee, California · 16614 days ago · 7 km deep · 5 km away
  11. 3.58 km NNW of Truckee, California · 16614 days ago · 9 km deep · 2 km away
  12. 1.69 km WNW of Plumas Eureka (historical), California · 16617 days ago · 7 km deep · 66 km away
  13. 1.63 km SSW of Soda Springs, California · 16628 days ago · 15 km deep · 20 km away
  14. 1.89 km SE of Alta, California · 16629 days ago · 0 km deep · 54 km away
  15. 1.94 km WNW of Alpine Village, California · 16629 days ago · 11 km deep · 75 km away
  16. 1.810 km NNE of Bear Valley, California · 16634 days ago · 13 km deep · 97 km away
  17. 1.811 km NNE of Bear Valley, California · 16634 days ago · 0 km deep · 97 km away
  18. 1.59 km WSW of Markleeville, California · 16637 days ago · 2 km deep · 89 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1062039. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 3:25 PM UTC.