M3.9 earthquake 20km NW of Tehachapi, CA

A magnitude 3.9 earthquake struck 20km NW of Tehachapi, CA on Fri, Mar 3, 1989, 8:46 AM PST (16:46 UTC), 6 km (3 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.3 6km WSW of Grapevine, CA. 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
3.88	ML, local (Richter)	Southern California Seismic Network	Preferred · Final · 8 stations
3.8	ML, local (Richter)	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Reviewed

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

Felt (IV) at Bakersfield, Caliente and Keene; (III) at Bodfish, Lake Isabella and Tehachapi.

From the USGS event page for ci1022597. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.

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: 66 in the 60 days after this one and 35 in the 30 days before it.

The first 60 of 66.

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci1022597 (also filed as usp0003sj8). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 2:54 PM UTC.