California earthquakes

M3.1 earthquake 4 km WSW of Dublin, California

A magnitude 3.1 earthquake struck 4 km WSW of Dublin, California on Wed, Sep 6, 1989, 2:45 AM PDT (09:45 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M6.9 The 1989 Loma Prieta, California Earthquake. 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
3.1 (Md, duration), minor
Magnitude from
Northern California Seismic System
Local time
UTC
1989-09-06 09:45:32 UTC
Depth
10.1 km (6.3 mi), shallow
Epicenter
37.690° N, 121.982° 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
3.09Md, durationNorthern California Seismic SystemPreferred · Final · ±0.1 · 100 stations
2.9ML, local (Richter)USGS National Earthquake Information CenterReviewed

What happened

The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.

Felt at Castro Valley.

From the USGS event page for nc143665. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.

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 0.1 km horizontally, 0.3 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.10
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
34°
Stations used
67

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 182 in the 60 days after this one and 53 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 182.

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc143665 (also filed as usp0003z9d). Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 9:01 PM UTC.