M3.1 earthquake 11km NW of Pinnacles, CA

A magnitude 3.1 earthquake struck 11km NW of Pinnacles, CA on Sat, Jan 2, 2021, 6:36 AM PST (14:36 UTC), 6 km (4 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.3 10km NW of Pinnacles, 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
3.09	ML, local (Richter)	Northern California Seismic System	Preferred · Final · ±0.125 · 53 stations
2.8	ML, local (Richter)	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Reviewed · ±0.038 · 92 stations

33 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was V, moderate shaking.

Reviewed by a seismologist.

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

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 171 in the 60 days after this one and 55 in the 30 days before it.

The first 60 of 171.

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc73506040 (also filed as us6000d513). Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 8:06 AM UTC.