M1.8 earthquake 11 km W of Avenal, California

A magnitude 1.8 earthquake struck 11 km W of Avenal, California on Sun, Jan 20, 1985, 3:41 PM PST (23:41 UTC), 8 km (5 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.5 11 km SSE of Huron, 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
1.81	Md, duration	Northern California Seismic System	Preferred · Final · ±0.12 · 20 stations
1.95	Mc	Southern California Seismic Network	Final · 13 stations

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: 126 in the 60 days after this one and 59 in the 30 days before it.

The first 60 of 126.

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc38036 (also filed as ci59194). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 3:22 PM UTC.