California earthquakes

M3.0 earthquake 15 km NNE of Mesa, California

A magnitude 3.0 earthquake struck 15 km NNE of Mesa, California on Thu, Jan 19, 1984, 12:45 PM PST (20:45 UTC), 9 km (5 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.5 3 km S of Round Valley, California. This one was a foreshock.

Dixon Lane-Meadow Creek forecastMore in California

Map

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

Open the live map with earthquakes

The earthquake

Magnitude
3.0 (Md, duration), minor
Magnitude from
Northern California Seismic System
Local time
UTC
1984-01-19 20:45:17 UTC
Depth
8.6 km (5.3 mi), shallow
Epicenter
37.533° N, 118.450° 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
3.01Md, durationNorthern California Seismic SystemPreferred · Final · ±0.21 · 22 stations
2.87ML, local (Richter)Southern California Seismic NetworkFinal · 3 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 0.6 km horizontally, 0.9 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.21
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
225°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
26

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 98 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 nc2478 (also filed as ci30064). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 1:17 PM UTC.