California earthquakes

M1.6 earthquake 4 km ESE of Big Sur, California

A magnitude 1.6 earthquake struck 4 km ESE of Big Sur, California on Wed, Sep 4, 2002, 6:04 PM PDT (01:04 UTC), 15 km (10 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.8 21 km NNE of Soledad, California. This one was a foreshock.

Big Sur 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
1.6 (Md, duration), micro
Magnitude from
Northern California Seismic System
Local time
UTC
2002-09-05 01:04:46 UTC
Depth
15.5 km (9.6 mi), shallow
Epicenter
36.255° N, 121.759° W
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 1.4 km horizontally, 1.0 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.31
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
230°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
9

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 125 in the 60 days after this one and 30 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 1.836 km SE of Big Sur, California · 8797 days ago · 18 km deep · 32 km away
  2. 2.124 km NE of Greenfield, California · 8796 days ago · 5 km deep · 68 km away
  3. 1.624 km NE of Greenfield, California · 8796 days ago · 5 km deep · 68 km away
  4. 1.626 km NE of Soledad, California · 8796 days ago · 8 km deep · 69 km away
  5. 2.2Central California · 8796 days ago · 6 km deep · 62 km away
  6. 1.828 km WSW of Three Rocks, California · 8795 days ago · 10 km deep · 97 km away
  7. 1.77 km SE of San Juan Bautista, California · 8795 days ago · 5 km deep · 64 km away
  8. 1.625 km NE of Soledad, California · 8794 days ago · 9 km deep · 68 km away
  9. 2.424 km NE of Soledad, California · 8793 days ago · 10 km deep · 68 km away
  10. 1.715 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 8793 days ago · 5 km deep · 62 km away
  11. 2.28 km NE of San Juan Bautista, California · 8791 days ago · 5 km deep · 76 km away
  12. 2.125 km SSW of Los Banos, California · 8791 days ago · 0 km deep · 97 km away
  13. 1.610 km WSW of Oak Shores, California · 8791 days ago · 9 km deep · 84 km away
  14. 2.321 km NNE of Soledad, California · 8789 days ago · 7 km deep · 62 km away
  15. 1.622 km NNE of Soledad, California · 8789 days ago · 1 km deep · 63 km away
  16. 1.610 km E of Big Sur, California · 8789 days ago · 5 km deep · 7 km away
  17. 1.825 km NE of King City, California · 8789 days ago · 2 km deep · 74 km away
  18. 2.010 km S of Tres Pinos, California · 8787 days ago · 7 km deep · 61 km away
  19. 1.622 km NE of Soledad, California · 8785 days ago · 7 km deep · 65 km away
  20. 2.44 km W of San Juan Bautista, California · 8785 days ago · 9 km deep · 68 km away
  21. 2.915 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 8785 days ago · 8 km deep · 62 km away
  22. 2.415 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 8785 days ago · 8 km deep · 62 km away
  23. 1.710 km S of Tres Pinos, California · 8785 days ago · 7 km deep · 62 km away
  24. 1.84 km ESE of Interlaken, California · 8785 days ago · 11 km deep · 77 km away
  25. 1.75 km S of Gilroy, California · 8784 days ago · 6 km deep · 80 km away
  26. 1.836 km SE of Big Sur, California · 8784 days ago · 9 km deep · 32 km away
  27. 2.422 km NNE of Soledad, California · 8783 days ago · 6 km deep · 63 km away
  28. 1.521 km NE of Soledad, California · 8782 days ago · 7 km deep · 63 km away
  29. 1.85 km W of San Ardo, California · 8782 days ago · 8 km deep · 76 km away
  30. 1.821 km NE of Soledad, California · 8781 days ago · 3 km deep · 64 km away
  31. 1.721 km NE of Soledad, California · 8781 days ago · 3 km deep · 64 km away
  32. 2.314 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 8781 days ago · 5 km deep · 62 km away
  33. 2.09 km S of Oak Shores, California · 8780 days ago · 0 km deep · 95 km away
  34. 1.68 km SSW of Ridgemark, California · 8779 days ago · 6 km deep · 62 km away
  35. 2.222 km NE of Soledad, California · 8778 days ago · 3 km deep · 65 km away
  36. 2.322 km NE of Soledad, California · 8778 days ago · 5 km deep · 63 km away
  37. 1.612 km S of Tres Pinos, California · 8778 days ago · 6 km deep · 62 km away
  38. 1.79 km E of Gilroy, California · 8777 days ago · 4 km deep · 87 km away
  39. 2.336 km SE of Big Sur, California · 8776 days ago · 12 km deep · 33 km away
  40. 2.85 km SSW of Gilroy, California · 8776 days ago · 4 km deep · 80 km away
  41. 3.022 km NNE of Soledad, California · 8776 days ago · 8 km deep · 63 km away
  42. 3.821 km NNE of Soledad, California · 8776 days ago · 8 km deep · 62 km away · felt by 79
  43. 1.821 km NNE of Soledad, California · 8776 days ago · 7 km deep · 62 km away
  44. 1.721 km NNE of Soledad, California · 8776 days ago · 8 km deep · 63 km away
  45. 1.513 km N of Hollister, California · 8776 days ago · 8 km deep · 87 km away
  46. 1.723 km NW of San Simeon, California · 8775 days ago · 5 km deep · 62 km away
  47. 1.64 km SSW of Gilroy, California · 8774 days ago · 6 km deep · 80 km away
  48. 1.818 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 8774 days ago · 6 km deep · 62 km away
  49. 1.819 km NNE of King City, California · 8774 days ago · 0 km deep · 67 km away
  50. 3.721 km NNE of Soledad, California · 8773 days ago · 9 km deep · 63 km away
  51. 2.16 km NE of Scotts Valley, California · 8772 days ago · 5 km deep · 96 km away
  52. 2.04 km SSW of Gilroy, California · 8772 days ago · 6 km deep · 80 km away
  53. 1.621 km NNE of Soledad, California · 8771 days ago · 7 km deep · 62 km away
  54. 1.820 km NNE of King City, California · 8769 days ago · 0 km deep · 68 km away
  55. 2.41 km E of Ridgemark, California · 8768 days ago · 6 km deep · 72 km away
  56. 1.623 km NE of King City, California · 8767 days ago · 3 km deep · 76 km away
  57. 1.923 km NNE of San Ardo, California · 8767 days ago · 7 km deep · 90 km away
  58. 1.624 km NE of Greenfield, California · 8766 days ago · 5 km deep · 68 km away
  59. 2.29 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 8765 days ago · 7 km deep · 65 km away
  60. 1.524 km NE of Soledad, California · 8764 days ago · 2 km deep · 67 km away

The first 60 of 125.

Before

  1. 2.32 km SSW of San Juan Bautista, California · 8798 days ago · 6 km deep · 66 km away
  2. 2.624 km ENE of Greenfield, California · 8800 days ago · 6 km deep · 70 km away
  3. 1.623 km ENE of Soledad, California · 8801 days ago · 6 km deep · 67 km away
  4. 2.04 km ESE of Aromas, California · 8802 days ago · 6 km deep · 70 km away
  5. 2.44 km ESE of Aromas, California · 8802 days ago · 6 km deep · 70 km away
  6. 1.521 km SE of Big Sur, California · 8803 days ago · 7 km deep · 17 km away
  7. 2.023 km WNW of San Simeon, California · 8805 days ago · 6 km deep · 66 km away
  8. 1.618 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 8805 days ago · 3 km deep · 62 km away
  9. 2.621 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · 8805 days ago · 6 km deep · 62 km away
  10. 2.321 km NE of Soledad, California · 8808 days ago · 5 km deep · 65 km away
  11. 1.76 km NNE of Tres Pinos, California · 8809 days ago · 6 km deep · 77 km away
  12. 2.322 km ENE of Soledad, California · 8810 days ago · 4 km deep · 66 km away
  13. 1.72 km NNE of Aromas, California · 8811 days ago · 7 km deep · 73 km away
  14. 2.4Central California · 8811 days ago · 6 km deep · 81 km away
  15. 1.75 km SW of Gilroy, California · 8812 days ago · 4 km deep · 80 km away
  16. 2.014 km SW of Lockwood, California · 8812 days ago · 5 km deep · 69 km away
  17. 1.610 km S of Tres Pinos, California · 8812 days ago · 12 km deep · 63 km away
  18. 1.86 km SW of Tres Pinos, California · 8815 days ago · 6 km deep · 64 km away
  19. 1.62 km SW of San Juan Bautista, California · 8816 days ago · 8 km deep · 66 km away
  20. 1.63 km ESE of Tres Pinos, California · 8816 days ago · 9 km deep · 72 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc21243588. Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 1:32 PM UTC.