California earthquakes

M1.6 earthquake 16km NNW of Tehachapi, CA

A magnitude 1.6 earthquake struck 16km NNW of Tehachapi, CA on Mon, Aug 15, 1983, 12:59 PM PDT (19:59 UTC), 5 km (3 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.1 7km WSW of Bodfish, CA. 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
1.6 (mh), micro
Local time
UTC
1983-08-15 19:59:07 UTC
Depth
5.0 km (3.1 mi), shallow
Epicenter
35.253° N, 118.536° 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 0.8 km horizontally, 31.6 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.15
Depth from
Operator assigned
Station coverage gap
148°
Stations used
10

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 139 in the 60 days after this one and 94 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 139.

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci19811. Read Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 1:30 PM UTC.