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Home / Earthquakes / California

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

All recorded earthquakes

M 4.6 mbNovember 24, 1967
73 km WSW of Ferndale, California · depth 17 km
M 4.9 mlSeptember 28, 1967
11 km NNE of Morgan Hill, California · depth 8 km
M 4.7 mlMay 21, 1967
4km E of Anza, CA · depth 8 km
M 4.7 mbDecember 17, 1966
123 km W of Ferndale, California
M 4.6 mbNovember 26, 1966
101 km WSW of Ferndale, California · depth 33 km
M 4.5 mbSeptember 14, 1966
10 km NNE of Truckee, California · depth 3 km
M 4.8 mbSeptember 12, 1966
10 km NNE of Truckee, California · depth 3 km
M 5.9 mwSeptember 12, 1966
9 km NW of Truckee, California · depth 10 km
M 4.8 mlJune 29, 1966
34km W of Coalinga, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.5 mhJune 28, 1966
8km NW of Parkfield, CA · depth 6 km
M 5.5 mlJune 28, 1966
1966 Parkfield, California Earthquake · depth 6 km
M 4.7 mlJune 28, 1966
14km NE of Cholame, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.5 mbMay 24, 1966
8 km NE of Chico, California · depth 20 km
M 5.0 mbApril 10, 1966
123 km W of Big Lagoon, California · depth 33 km
M 5.0 mlOctober 17, 1965
8km NNE of Cabazon, CA · depth 13 km
M 4.7 mlSeptember 26, 1965
28km W of Ludlow, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.8 mlSeptember 25, 1965
26km W of Ludlow, CA · depth 6 km
M 5.1 mlSeptember 25, 1965
25km W of Ludlow, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.5 mlSeptember 22, 1965
8km N of Dixon Lane-Meadow Creek, CA · depth 6 km
M 5.6 mbSeptember 16, 1965
115 km W of Ferndale, California · depth 33 km
M 4.9 mbSeptember 10, 1965
1 km WNW of Antioch, California
M 4.6 mlApril 15, 1965
5km NNE of Fontana, CA · depth 6 km
M 5.3 mbFebruary 12, 1965
62 km WSW of Ferndale, California
M 5.2 mbNovember 16, 1964
7 km WSW of San Martin, California
M 5.4 mbJune 11, 1964
231 km W of Ferndale, California
M 4.8 mbMarch 3, 1964
93 km WSW of Ferndale, California
M 4.5 mlFebruary 26, 1964
61 km WSW of Ferndale, California
M 4.5 mlJanuary 6, 1964
29km N of Yucca Valley, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.6 mlDecember 6, 1963
24km NE of Dixon Lane-Meadow Creek, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.6 mlOctober 27, 1963
9km ENE of Calipatria, CA · depth 6 km
M 5.3 mlSeptember 23, 1963
6km SSE of Hemet, CA · depth 11 km
M 4.9 mhSeptember 16, 1963
24km WNW of Inyokern, CA · depth 6 km
M 5.4 mbSeptember 14, 1963
4 km E of Aromas, California · depth 3 km
M 4.7 mlSeptember 14, 1963
20km S of San Pedro, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.6 mlJuly 30, 1963
11km WNW of Twentynine Palms, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.7 mbJuly 8, 1963
132 km W of Ferndale, California · depth 33 km
M 4.7 mlMay 23, 1963
4km SSW of Westmorland, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.5 mlMay 23, 1963
5km ESE of Westmorland, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.6 mlMay 22, 1963
0 km W of Loma Mar, California
M 4.6 mlMarch 1, 1963
4km WNW of Grapevine, CA · depth 8 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.