California earthquakes

M2.7 earthquake 23 km ENE of Soledad, California

A magnitude 2.7 earthquake struck 23 km ENE of Soledad, California on Tue, Nov 15, 1983, 3:57 AM PST (11:57 UTC), 8 km (5 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.3 12 km NW of Avenal, 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
2.7 (Md, duration), micro
Magnitude from
Northern California Seismic System
Local time
UTC
1983-11-15 11:57:08 UTC
Depth
7.6 km (4.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter
36.532° N, 121.096° W
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

Magnitude estimates

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.ScaleComputed byNotes
2.74Md, durationNorthern California Seismic SystemPreferred · Final · ±0.11 · 85 stations
2.82McSouthern California Seismic NetworkFinal · 7 stations

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
±0.11
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
47°
Stations used
66

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 195 in the 60 days after this one and 128 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 195.

Before

Earthquakes todayCalifornia earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1106910 (also filed as ci22266). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 7:37 AM UTC.