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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 4.6 mlDecember 17, 1955
5km SE of Brawley, CA · depth 6 km
M 5.3 mlDecember 17, 1955
6km ESE of Brawley, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.9 mlNovember 2, 1955
35km SW of Mendota, CA · depth 6 km
M 5.8 mwSeptember 5, 1955
7 km NNW of Boulder Creek, California · depth 15 km
M 4.5 mlAugust 27, 1955
29 km SW of Ferndale, California
M 4.5 mlMay 28, 1955
22km ESE of Lake Isabella, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.6 mlMay 7, 1955
5 km SSW of Kelseyville, California
M 4.8 mlMarch 2, 1955
22km NNW of Lake Nacimiento, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.7 mlDecember 30, 1954
14 km SE of Blue Lake, California
M 6.4 mwDecember 21, 1954
The 1954 Eureka-Arcata, California Earthquake · depth 15 km
M 4.5 mlDecember 17, 1954
2 km ESE of San Leandro, California
M 4.6 mlDecember 7, 1954
off the coast of Northern California
M 6.8 mwNovember 25, 1954
123 km W of Ferndale, California · depth 10 km
M 4.8 mlAugust 26, 1954
18km S of Santa Cruz Is. (E end), CA · depth 6 km
M 5.0 mlMay 23, 1954
7km WNW of Grapevine, CA · depth 14 km
M 5.3 mlApril 25, 1954
4 km ESE of Interlaken, California
M 4.9 mlMarch 23, 1954
8km WSW of Salton City, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.7 mlMarch 20, 1954
12km NNE of Ocotillo Wells, CA · depth 6 km
M 5.5 mlMarch 19, 1954
8km NNE of Ocotillo Wells, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.5 mlMarch 19, 1954
12km W of Salton City, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.8 mlMarch 19, 1954
12km W of Salton City, CA · depth 6 km
M 6.4 mwMarch 19, 1954
The 1954 San Jacinto Fault, California Earthquake · depth 6 km
M 4.7 mlFebruary 24, 1954
17km NW of Grapevine, CA · depth 8 km
M 4.5 mlFebruary 12, 1954
10km NW of Borrego Springs, CA · depth 14 km
M 4.6 mlFebruary 10, 1954
10km NNE of Pine Mountain Club, CA · depth 10 km
M 4.6 mlFebruary 7, 1954
18km NW of Grapevine, CA · depth 8 km
M 5.0 mlJanuary 27, 1954
12km W of Tehachapi, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.6 mlJanuary 13, 1954
18km NW of Grapevine, CA · depth 8 km
M 5.4 mlJanuary 12, 1954
13km WNW of Grapevine, CA · depth 0 km
M 4.6 mlDecember 15, 1953
2km SW of Arvin, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.8 mlNovember 24, 1953
43km E of Trona, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.7 mlOctober 7, 1953
11km ENE of Grapevine, CA · depth 4 km
M 4.8 mlJune 14, 1953
22km SE of Desert Center, CA · depth 6 km
M 5.5 mlJune 14, 1953
8km NE of Imperial, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.8 mlMay 25, 1953
11km WNW of Grapevine, CA · depth 3 km
M 4.7 mlApril 29, 1953
20km ENE of Grapevine, CA · depth 9 km
M 5.0 mlMarch 22, 1953
12 km S of South Lake Tahoe, California
M 4.7 mlFebruary 23, 1953
82 km WSW of Crescent City, California
M 6.2 mlNovember 22, 1952
28km NW of Cambria, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.5 mlNovember 7, 1952
14km NNE of Pine Mountain Club, 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.