California earthquakes

M3.5 earthquake 32 km NW of Benton, California

A magnitude 3.5 earthquake struck 32 km NW of Benton, California on Mon, Dec 5, 1983, 6:07 AM PST (14:07 UTC), -1 km (-1 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.7 32 km NW of Benton, California. This one was a foreshock.

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude
3.5 (ml), minor
Local time
UTC
1983-12-05 14:07:22 UTC
Depth
-1.0 km (-0.6 mi), shallow
Epicenter
38.036° N, 118.723° 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 0.5 km horizontally, 8.3 km in depth
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
134°
Stations used
13

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 169 in the 60 days after this one and 30 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 169.

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1108013 (also filed as ci26573, usp000209y). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:42 AM UTC.