M3.6 earthquake 20km NE of Arvin, CA

A magnitude 3.6 earthquake struck 20km NE of Arvin, CA on Thu, Jan 2, 2003, 8:11 AM PST (16:11 UTC), 3 km (2 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.5 20km NE of Arvin, 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
3.64	ML, local (Richter)	Southern California Seismic Network	Preferred · Final · ±0.198 · 120 stations
3.6	ML, local (Richter)	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Reviewed

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

Felt (III) at Bakersfield and Keene; (II) at Tehachapi.

From the USGS event page for ci9875657. 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: 195 in the 60 days after this one and 89 in the 30 days before it.

The first 60 of 195.

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci9875657 (also filed as usp000bmyb). Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 1:31 PM UTC.