M3.1 earthquake Central California

A magnitude 3.1 earthquake struck in Central California on Mon, May 23, 1983, 6:27 AM PDT (13:27 UTC), 9 km (6 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.4 11 km NNW of Coalinga, California. This one was a foreshock.

Map

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

Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.

Mag.	Scale	Computed by	Notes
3.12	Md, duration	Northern California Seismic System	Preferred · Final · ±0.14 · 61 stations
3.1	Md, duration	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Reviewed

The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.

DUR 3.1 (GS).

From the USGS event page for nc1095327. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

Reviewed by a seismologist.

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

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 199 in the 60 days after this one and 195 in the 30 days before it.

The first 60 of 199.

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1095327 (also filed as usp0001vk9). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 4:45 AM UTC.