California earthquakes

M3.1 earthquake 1 km NW of Avenal, California

A magnitude 3.1 earthquake struck 1 km NW of Avenal, California on Sun, Sep 8, 1985, 5:17 AM PDT (12:17 UTC), 16 km (10 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.0 11 km ENE of Coalinga, California. This one was a foreshock.

Avenal forecast More in California

Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 3.1 (ml), minor
Local time: Sun, Sep 8, 1985, 5:17 AM PDT
UTC: 1985-09-08 12:17:17 UTC
Depth: 16.3 km (10.1 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 36.011° N, 120.138° W
Region: California
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 0.3 km horizontally, 0.2 km in depth
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 127°
Stations used: 63

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 178 in the 60 days after this one and 18 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 178.

Before

Earthquakes today California earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc54922 (also filed as ci116884, usp0002jhj). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 4:15 PM UTC.