M3.9 earthquake 15km SSE of Buttonwillow, CA

A magnitude 3.9 earthquake struck 15km SSE of Buttonwillow, CA on Sun, Jan 2, 2022, 6:34 PM PST (02:34 UTC), 18 km (11 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.0 10km NW of Santa Paula, 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
3.92	ML, local (Richter)	Southern California Seismic Network	Preferred · Final · ±0.13 · 169 stations
3.8	ML, local (Richter)	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Reviewed · ±0.032 · 128 stations

The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.

133 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: 73 in the 60 days after this one and 14 in the 30 days before it.

The first 60 of 73.

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci39901519 (also filed as us7000g8kv). Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 8:49 AM UTC.