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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 5.0 mlOctober 29, 1962
10km NNW of Big Bear City, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.7 mlOctober 14, 1962
38 km SW of Point Arena, California
M 5.0 mlSeptember 16, 1962
24km SSW of Little Lake, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.9 mlSeptember 4, 1962
7 km SW of Trinidad, California · depth 45 km
M 5.9 mwAugust 23, 1962
5 km NNE of Hiouchi, California · depth 25 km
M 5.1 mlJuly 14, 1962
107 km W of Ferndale, California · depth 30 km
M 5.2 mlJune 6, 1962
6 km ESE of Talmage, California · depth 10 km
M 4.7 mlApril 15, 1962
22 km WSW of Three Rocks, California · depth 21 km
M 5.4 mlApril 14, 1962
95 km WSW of Ferndale, California
M 5.1 mlApril 13, 1962
19 km W of Bridgeport, California · depth 6 km
M 4.6 mlMarch 5, 1962
109 km WSW of Ferndale, California
M 4.5 mhMarch 5, 1962
87km WSW of Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA · depth 6 km
M 5.0 mlNovember 15, 1961
5km W of Grapevine, CA · depth 5 km
M 4.6 mlOctober 20, 1961
3km SSE of Huntington Beach, CA · depth 1 km
M 5.1 mlOctober 19, 1961
13km SE of Little Lake, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.8 mlSeptember 12, 1961
4km WNW of Heber, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.7 mlAugust 23, 1961
13km SW of Ocotillo Wells, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.6 mlJuly 31, 1961
8km ESE of Parkfield, CA · depth 6 km
M 5.9 mwApril 29, 1961
276 km W of Ferndale, California · depth 10 km
M 5.5 mlApril 9, 1961
12 km S of Tres Pinos, California
M 5.9 mwApril 9, 1961
10 km SE of Tres Pinos, California · depth 12 km
M 5.1 mlApril 6, 1961
60 km SW of Ferndale, California
M 5.1 mhFebruary 2, 1961
13km NNW of Dixon Lane-Meadow Creek, CA · depth 6 km
M 5.3 mhFebruary 2, 1961
47km NNE of Dixon Lane-Meadow Creek, CA · depth 6 km
M 5.0 mlJanuary 28, 1961
23km SSW of Little Lake, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.7 mlDecember 27, 1960
72 km WSW of Crescent City, California
M 5.9 mwDecember 27, 1960
81 km WSW of Crescent City, California · depth 20 km
M 6.2 mwAugust 9, 1960
219 km W of Ferndale, California · depth 10 km
M 6.0 mwJune 6, 1960
near the coast of Northern California · depth 15 km
M 4.9 mwJune 5, 1960
4 km SSW of Aspen Springs, California · depth 16 km
M 5.0 mlJanuary 20, 1960
6 km WSW of Ridgemark, California
M 4.7 mlDecember 29, 1959
Central California
M 4.7 mlDecember 22, 1959
40 km SSW of Ferndale, California
M 5.1 mlDecember 5, 1959
102 km WSW of Ferndale, California
M 4.5 mlOctober 31, 1959
116 km W of Big Lagoon, CA
M 4.7 mlOctober 1, 1959
27km SSW of Lompoc, CA · depth 6 km
M 5.2 mlAugust 4, 1959
13km N of Dixon Lane-Meadow Creek, CA · depth 6 km
M 6.3 mwJuly 24, 1959
off the coast of Northern California · depth 15 km
M 4.6 mlJuly 1, 1959
18km WSW of Lamont, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.7 mlJune 18, 1959
8 km NE of Swall Meadows, California
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.