California earthquakes

M3.2 earthquake 17 km SW of Volta, California

A magnitude 3.2 earthquake struck 17 km SW of Volta, California on Fri, Jan 15, 1988, 8:15 AM PST (16:15 UTC), 2 km (1 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.2 23 km ENE of San Lucas, California. 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: 3.2 (ml), minor
Local time: Fri, Jan 15, 1988, 8:15 AM PST
UTC: 1988-01-15 16:15:02 UTC
Depth: 1.5 km (0.9 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 36.981° N, 121.063° 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, 0.7 km in depth
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 163°
Stations used: 79

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 141 in the 60 days after this one and 35 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 141.

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc110951 (also filed as ci741087, usp0003c34). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:29 PM UTC.