Main shock epicenter is shown as a star, aftershocks as circles. The earthquake started at the epicenter and ruptured to the northwest, as shown by the aftershocks, straight toward Goleta and the U.C. Santa Barbara campus. This had the effect of focusing the energy from the earthquake toward Goleta and UCSB.

This image thanks to Geoff Ely.

Earthquake locations are from the US Geological Survey circular 797, W.H.K. Lee, et al.