Significant earthquakes of 1983

May 2, 1983 Earthquake: Central, Coalinga, California, United States

May 2, 1983 · M6.2 · $31 million · 500 houses destroyed

A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck Central, Coalinga, California, United States on May 2, 1983 at 23:42:37 UTC, 10 km below the surface.

Map

Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.

The earthquake

Date
May 2, 1983
Time
23:42:37 UTC
Place
Central, Coalinga, California, United States
Magnitude
6.2 (Ms)
Focal depth
10 km (6 mi)
Intensity
8 on the Modified Mercalli scale
Tsunami
None recorded
Epicenter
36.219° N, 120.317° W

The toll

Injuries
45
Damage
$31 million
Houses destroyed
500

Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.

Photos

From the NCEI/WDS Natural Hazards Image Database (doi:10.7289/V5154F01). Only photos by the USGS and NOAA, which are public domain, are shown.

Close-up View of Building at Corner of 5th Street and Elm Avenue, Coalinga
Close-up View of Building at Corner of 5th Street and Elm Avenue, Coalinga The building at the north corner of 5th Street and Elm Avenue. The photo shows failure of the masonry walls. Photo: M. Hopper, U.S. Geological Survey.
Roof Collapse in Central Business District, Coalinga
Roof Collapse in Central Business District, Coalinga Collapse of wood-frame building built before 1930 in the central business district. The building collapsed when the wall of the building to the right fell through its roof. Photo: M. Hopper, U.S. Geological Survey.
Wall Damage to Building in Downtown Coalinga
Wall Damage to Building in Downtown Coalinga Damage to building at 187 South 6th Street, in the downtown area. Collapse of a second story 20 cm bearing wall caused partial collapse of the roof. There was complete separation of veneer brick on the right-hand unreinforced masonry wall. Photo: M. Hopper, U.S. Geological Survey.
Second Floor Wall Failure on Coalinga House
Second Floor Wall Failure on Coalinga House Failure of second floor walls of house at Hawthorne and Fifth Streets. Second floor bedrooms are exposed. Note apparently undamaged two-story, wood-frame building on the right. Photo: M. Hopper, U.S. Geological Survey.
Porch Columns Damage, Residence in Coalinga
Porch Columns Damage, Residence in Coalinga Frame house with twisted porch columns. Most of the 2,700 homes in Coalinga were damaged, and more than 300 were uninhabitable after the earthquake. Many older homes had walls that were not anchored to the foundations. Photo: M. Hopper, U.S. Geological Survey.
Total Collapse of Front of Residence, Coalinga
Total Collapse of Front of Residence, Coalinga Collapse of porch, front walls, and roof of wood-frame dwelling. Most of the older houses surrounding the downtown area were badly damaged. Front porches failed because of the lack of a lateral-force-resisting system. Photo: M. Hopper, U.S. Geological Survey.

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

More

Significant earthquakes of 1983The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1983Recent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history

Sources

Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 4977.