California earthquakes

M3.0 earthquake 8km ESE of Lompoc, CA

A magnitude 3.0 earthquake struck 8km ESE of Lompoc, CA on Tue, May 1, 1990, 10:24 AM PDT (17:24 UTC), 8 km (5 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.3 26km S of Lompoc, CA. This one was a foreshock.

Lompoc forecastMore in California

Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude
3.0 (ML, local (Richter)), minor
Magnitude from
Southern California Seismic Network
Local time
UTC
1990-05-01 17:24:25 UTC
Depth
8.1 km (5.0 mi), shallow
Epicenter
34.614° N, 120.371° 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
3.05ML, local (Richter)Southern California Seismic NetworkPreferred · Final · 11 stations
3.1ML, local (Richter)USGS National Earthquake Information CenterReviewed

What happened

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

Felt (IV) at Lompoc.

From the USGS event page for ci1058009. 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.

Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
107°
Stations used
0

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 20 in the 60 days after this one and 11 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

Earthquakes todayCalifornia earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci1058009 (also filed as usp00048qh). Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 8:31 AM UTC.