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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 5.2 mlMarch 15, 1979
23km NNW of Joshua Tree, CA · depth 9 km
M 4.8 mlMarch 15, 1979
21km NNW of Joshua Tree, CA · depth 8 km
M 5.3 mlFebruary 22, 1979
4 km S of Doyle, California · depth 7 km
M 5.2 mlFebruary 3, 1979
13 km WNW of Samoa, California · depth 24 km
M 4.6 mlJanuary 24, 1979
5 km NE of Swall Meadows, California · depth 17 km
M 5.2 mlJanuary 1, 1979
13km S of Malibu Beach, CA · depth 13 km
M 5.1 mdDecember 3, 1978
123 km W of Ferndale, California · depth 103 km
M 4.5 mbOctober 16, 1978
253 km W of Ferndale, California · depth 15 km
M 4.8 mbOctober 15, 1978
229 km W of Ferndale, California · depth 15 km
M 4.8 mbOctober 15, 1978
239 km W of Ferndale, California · depth 15 km
M 4.6 mlOctober 6, 1978
18 km SW of Ferndale, California · depth 25 km
M 4.6 mlOctober 5, 1978
2 km NNW of Swall Meadows, California · depth 3 km
M 5.1 mlOctober 4, 1978
2 km SE of Sunny Slopes, California · depth 16 km
M 5.2 mdOctober 4, 1978
4 km SSE of Aspen Springs, California · depth 3 km
M 4.6 mlSeptember 25, 1978
111 km W of Trinidad, California · depth 5 km
M 4.5 mdSeptember 4, 1978
1 km SSE of Mesa Vista, California · depth 5 km
M 5.1 mlAugust 13, 1978
The 1978 Santa Barbara, California Earthquake · depth 18 km
M 4.5 mlAugust 1, 1978
24 km S of Tennant, California · depth -1 km
M 4.6 mlAugust 1, 1978
17 km SSE of Tennant, California · depth 1 km
M 4.8 mlMay 29, 1978
off the coast of Northern California · depth 8 km
M 4.6 mlMay 23, 1978
32 km SW of Ferndale, California · depth 29 km
M 4.5 mlMarch 26, 1978
4 km SE of Calpella, California · depth 12 km
M 4.8 mlNovember 22, 1977
8 km E of Willits, California · depth 15 km
M 4.7 mlJuly 18, 1977
73 km W of Ferndale, California · depth 9 km
M 5.0 mbJuly 4, 1977
259 km W of Ferndale, California · depth 15 km
M 5.1 mbJuly 4, 1977
211 km W of Ferndale, California · depth 15 km
M 4.8 mlFebruary 22, 1977
17 km E of Walker, California · depth 3 km
M 4.9 mbFebruary 22, 1977
171 km W of Trinidad, California · depth 15 km
M 5.1 mbFebruary 1, 1977
234 km W of Ferndale, California · depth 15 km
M 4.5 mbDecember 6, 1976
210 km W of Ferndale, California · depth 15 km
M 4.6 mdDecember 2, 1976
20 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · depth 5 km
M 4.9 mbNovember 28, 1976
170 km W of Trinidad, California · depth 15 km
M 5.0 mbNovember 27, 1976
26 km S of Likely, California · depth 5 km
M 6.3 mlNovember 26, 1976
67 km W of Trinidad, California · depth 42 km
M 5.1 mlNovember 4, 1976
9km N of Westmorland, CA · depth 5 km
M 4.8 mbSeptember 13, 1976
44 km SSW of Ferndale, California · depth 33 km
M 4.7 mbJune 24, 1976
3 km NNE of Johnstonville, California · depth 5 km
M 4.6 mdMay 23, 1976
13 km WSW of Three Rocks, California · depth 12 km
M 4.6 mlJanuary 20, 1976
76 km WSW of Ferndale, California · depth 7 km
M 4.9 mlJanuary 14, 1976
12 km ESE of Coalinga, California · depth 10 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.