California earthquakes

M2.1 earthquake 4 km SW of Avenal, California

A magnitude 2.1 earthquake struck 4 km SW of Avenal, California on Sat, Jan 28, 1984, 8:21 PM PST (04:21 UTC), 12 km (7 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.1 15 km N of Coalinga, California. This one was a foreshock.

Avenal forecastMore in California

Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude
2.1 (Md, duration), micro
Magnitude from
Northern California Seismic System
Local time
UTC
1984-01-29 04:21:41 UTC
Depth
11.8 km (7.4 mi), shallow
Epicenter
35.972° N, 120.156° 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
2.14Md, durationNorthern California Seismic SystemPreferred · Final · ±0.12 · 23 stations
2.27McSouthern California Seismic NetworkFinal · 17 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 1.0 km horizontally, 0.5 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.12
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
248°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
24

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 120 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 169.

Before

Earthquakes todayCalifornia earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc3940 (also filed as ci30427). Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 3:27 PM UTC.