California earthquakes

M3.0 earthquake 6 km SSE of Parkfield, California

A magnitude 3.0 earthquake struck 6 km SSE of Parkfield, California on Sun, Dec 19, 1982, 1:38 AM PST (09:38 UTC), 6 km (4 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.1 1 km SSE of Parkfield, 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: 3.0 (md), minor
Local time: Sun, Dec 19, 1982, 1:38 AM PST
UTC: 1982-12-19 09:38:49 UTC
Depth: 6.3 km (3.9 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 35.846° N, 120.396° W
Region: California
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 0.2 km horizontally, 0.3 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.13
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 55°
Stations used: 36

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 86 in the 60 days after this one and 38 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 86.

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1083239 (also filed as ci500319, usp0001rhy). Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 9:53 PM UTC.