California earthquakes

M2.1 earthquake 4 km SSW of Whitehawk, California

A magnitude 2.1 earthquake struck 4 km SSW of Whitehawk, California on Sun, Jul 26, 1981, 11:39 AM PDT (18:39 UTC), 14 km (9 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M2.9 1 km ENE of Clipper Mills, 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
2.1 (ma), micro
Local time
UTC
1981-07-26 18:39:14 UTC
Depth
13.8 km (8.6 mi), shallow
Epicenter
39.681° N, 120.577° 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 0.6 km horizontally, 3.2 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.19
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
264°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
17

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 18 in the 60 days after this one and 19 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 1.810 km NE of Chilcoot-Vinton, California · 16488 days ago · 9 km deep · 49 km away
  2. 2.91 km ENE of Clipper Mills, California · 16488 days ago · 8 km deep · 51 km away
  3. 2.01 km ENE of Chester, California · 16486 days ago · 7 km deep · 88 km away
  4. 2.02 km ESE of Chester, California · 16486 days ago · 5 km deep · 88 km away
  5. 1.6Northern California · 16485 days ago · 3 km deep · 93 km away
  6. 1.615 km NNE of Butte Meadows, California · 16481 days ago · 3 km deep · 97 km away
  7. 2.30 km NW of Chester, California · 16477 days ago · 2 km deep · 90 km away
  8. 1.76 km SSE of Palermo, California · 16472 days ago · 1 km deep · 85 km away
  9. 1.51 km E of Oroville, California · 16471 days ago · 10 km deep · 84 km away
  10. 2.011 km NE of Soda Springs, California · 16467 days ago · 12 km deep · 39 km away
  11. 3.13 km WSW of Spring Garden, California · 16460 days ago · 0 km deep · 31 km away
  12. 2.66 km S of Kingvale, California · 16458 days ago · 11 km deep · 49 km away
  13. 2.14 km SE of Palermo, California · 16452 days ago · 6 km deep · 85 km away
  14. 2.52 km ESE of Prattville, California · 16449 days ago · 2 km deep · 74 km away
  15. 3.02 km ENE of Prattville, California · 16449 days ago · 12 km deep · 76 km away
  16. 2.81 km ENE of Lake Almanor West, California · 16449 days ago · 2 km deep · 81 km away
  17. 2.64 km SSE of Floriston, California · 16446 days ago · 14 km deep · 61 km away
  18. 2.511 km NE of Cromberg, California · 16444 days ago · 5 km deep · 28 km away

Before

  1. 1.94 km SE of Palermo, California · 16495 days ago · 6 km deep · 85 km away
  2. 2.010 km W of Lake Almanor West, California · 16495 days ago · 3 km deep · 89 km away
  3. 2.96 km NNW of Incline Village, Nevada · 16498 days ago · 4 km deep · 65 km away
  4. 1.93 km SW of East Shore, California · 16499 days ago · 1 km deep · 74 km away
  5. 1.66 km NW of Plumas Eureka (historical), California · 16499 days ago · 1 km deep · 20 km away
  6. 2.0Northern California · 16500 days ago · 13 km deep · 19 km away
  7. 1.82 km NE of Canyondam, California · 16500 days ago · 2 km deep · 69 km away
  8. 2.86 km NNW of Thermalito, California · 16502 days ago · 2 km deep · 89 km away
  9. 2.3Northern California · 16503 days ago · 2 km deep · 89 km away
  10. 1.825 km SSW of Kingvale, California · 16504 days ago · 9 km deep · 65 km away
  11. 2.54 km SE of Palermo, California · 16505 days ago · 7 km deep · 85 km away
  12. 1.50 km NW of Lake Almanor Country Club, California · 16505 days ago · 2 km deep · 80 km away
  13. 2.54 km SE of Palermo, California · 16506 days ago · 7 km deep · 86 km away
  14. 2.03 km ESE of Palermo, California · 16507 days ago · 4 km deep · 84 km away
  15. 1.612 km WSW of Chester, California · 16511 days ago · 3 km deep · 96 km away
  16. 2.13 km NW of Lake Almanor Country Club, California · 16519 days ago · 3 km deep · 83 km away
  17. 1.94 km SE of Palermo, California · 16519 days ago · 7 km deep · 85 km away
  18. 1.84 km SE of Palermo, California · 16520 days ago · 5 km deep · 85 km away
  19. 3.45 km SE of Palermo, California · 16521 days ago · 7 km deep · 84 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1065962. Read Wed, Sep 23, 2026, 2:37 AM UTC.