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California Earthquake History
Since April 30, 1900, the USGS has recorded 1,665 earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 or greater in California, 107 of them magnitude 6 or above. The strongest was M 7.9.
By decade
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Strongest in California
M 7.9 · The 1906 San Francisco, California EarthquakeApril 18, 1906M 7.5 · The 1952 Kern County, California EarthquakeJuly 21, 1952M 7.4 · 123 km W of Big Lagoon, CaliforniaJanuary 31, 1922M 7.3 · The 1992 Landers, California EarthquakeJune 28, 1992M 7.2 · The 1980 Eureka, California EarthquakeNovember 8, 1980M 7.2 · The 1992 Petrolia, California EarthquakeApril 25, 1992M 7.2 · 153 km W of Big Lagoon, CaliforniaJune 15, 2005M 7.1 · The 1923 Humboldt County, California EarthquakeJanuary 22, 1923M 7.1 · Gulf of CaliforniaDecember 9, 1901M 7.1 · Baja California, MexicoDecember 12, 1902
All recorded earthquakes
M 4.9 mbOctober 20, 1989
Gulf of California · depth 10 km
M 4.6 mlOctober 19, 1989
1 km N of Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley, California · depth 12 km
M 4.5 mlOctober 19, 1989
5 km E of Interlaken, California · depth 8 km
M 4.5 mlOctober 18, 1989
6 km ENE of Corralitos, California · depth -0 km
M 5.1 mlOctober 18, 1989
7 km SW of Monte Sereno, California · depth 15 km
M 4.8 mlOctober 18, 1989
7 km NNE of Corralitos, California · depth 5 km
M 4.6 mlOctober 18, 1989
1 km NNW of Lexington Hills, California · depth 5 km
M 4.7 mlOctober 18, 1989
4 km N of Interlaken, California · depth 15 km
M 4.7 mlOctober 18, 1989
2 km SSW of Cambrian Park, California · depth 9 km
M 6.9 mwOctober 18, 1989
The 1989 Loma Prieta, California Earthquake · depth 17 km
M 4.6 mbOctober 16, 1989
295 km W of Indianola, California · depth 6 km
M 4.9 mlSeptember 21, 1989
43 km SW of Ferndale, California · depth 16 km
M 4.5 mlAugust 8, 1989
2 km E of Lexington Hills, California · depth 15 km
M 5.4 mlAugust 8, 1989
4 km ESE of Lexington Hills, California · depth 13 km
M 4.6 mlJuly 11, 1989
3 km WNW of Round Valley, California · depth 12 km
M 4.8 mlJune 12, 1989
1km WSW of East Los Angeles, CA · depth 15 km
M 5.0 mwMay 4, 1989
268 km W of Ferndale, California · depth 5 km
M 4.5 mbApril 28, 1989
off the coast of Northern California · depth 10 km
M 4.8 mlApril 7, 1989
2km E of Newport Beach, CA · depth 13 km
M 4.5 mlApril 3, 1989
6 km NE of East Foothills, California · depth 11 km
M 4.6 mlMarch 6, 1989
10km SW of Niland, CA · depth 1 km
M 5.0 mlJanuary 19, 1989
13km S of Las Flores, CA · depth 12 km
M 5.0 mlDecember 16, 1988
12km SW of Morongo Valley, CA · depth 7 km
M 5.0 mlDecember 3, 1988
1km SSE of Pasadena, CA · depth 14 km
M 4.8 mlNovember 20, 1988
18km SW of Newport Beach, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.8 mlNovember 10, 1988
7 km E of East Foothills, California · depth 8 km
M 4.7 mlJuly 26, 1988
23 km NE of Soledad, California · depth 3 km
M 5.3 mlJune 27, 1988
8 km ESE of Lexington Hills, California · depth 13 km
M 4.7 mlJune 26, 1988
4km NNE of Claremont, CA · depth 7 km
M 5.3 mlJune 13, 1988
6 km E of East Foothills, California · depth 9 km
M 5.4 mlJune 10, 1988
16km NE of Lebec, CA · depth 6 km
M 5.1 mlFebruary 20, 1988
1 km NE of Tres Pinos, California · depth 9 km
M 4.7 mlFebruary 11, 1988
2km WNW of El Monte, CA · depth 12 km
M 4.7 mlJanuary 28, 1988
13km NW of Imperial, CA · depth 4 km
M 4.5 mlJanuary 6, 1988
28 km SW of South Dos Palos, California · depth 4 km
M 4.6 mlDecember 2, 1987
18km WSW of Westmorland, CA · depth 2 km
M 4.5 mlNovember 26, 1987
25km W of Westmorland, CA · depth 2 km
M 4.7 mlNovember 24, 1987
17km SW of Westmorland, CA · depth 14 km
M 6.6 mwNovember 24, 1987
The 1987 Superstition Hills, California Earthquake · depth 11 km
M 4.7 mlNovember 24, 1987
18km W of Westmorland, CA · depth 4 km
Source: U.S. Geological Survey, Earthquake Hazards Program. Older and smaller earthquakes are under-counted relative to recent decades as instrumentation improved. A record of past shaking is not a forecast. See About the Data.