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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

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 4.7 mlOctober 9, 1952
181km WSW of Cambria, CA · depth 6 km
M 6.0 mwSeptember 22, 1952
31 km NW of Shelter Cove, California · depth 15 km
M 4.7 mlSeptember 2, 1952
7km SW of Grapevine, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.6 mlSeptember 2, 1952
19km SE of Arvin, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.7 mlAugust 30, 1952
21km N of Tehachapi, CA · depth 0 km
M 4.7 mlAugust 25, 1952
13km N of Grapevine, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.8 mlAugust 23, 1952
5km NNE of Acton, CA · depth 6 km
M 5.5 mlAugust 22, 1952
The 1952 Bakersfield, California Earthquake · depth 6 km
M 4.7 mlAugust 18, 1952
17km NW of Grapevine, CA · depth 13 km
M 4.7 mlAugust 13, 1952
19km SE of Arvin, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.6 mlAugust 13, 1952
17km N of Tehachapi, CA · depth 0 km
M 4.6 mlAugust 10, 1952
21km N of Tehachapi, CA · depth 1 km
M 5.0 mlAugust 7, 1952
19km NW of Grapevine, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.9 mlAugust 1, 1952
7km SW of Grapevine, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.5 mlAugust 1, 1952
19km N of Tehachapi, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.7 mlJuly 31, 1952
1km ESE of Bakersfield, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.6 mlJuly 31, 1952
18km NNW of Tehachapi, CA · depth 6 km
M 5.6 mlJuly 31, 1952
14km NNW of Tehachapi, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.6 mlJuly 29, 1952
5km ESE of Bakersfield, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.8 mlJuly 29, 1952
15km WNW of Tehachapi, CA · depth 6 km
M 5.2 mlJuly 29, 1952
18km NNE of Lamont, CA · depth 6 km
M 5.7 mlJuly 29, 1952
11km N of Lamont, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.5 mlJuly 26, 1952
16km WNW of Tehachapi, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.7 mlJuly 25, 1952
22km N of Tehachapi, CA · depth 6 km
M 5.6 mlJuly 25, 1952
19km N of Tehachapi, CA · depth 6 km
M 5.5 mlJuly 25, 1952
22km N of Tehachapi, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.9 mlJuly 25, 1952
21km N of Tehachapi, CA · depth 1 km
M 5.1 mlJuly 23, 1952
6km N of Grapevine, CA · depth 15 km
M 4.5 mlJuly 23, 1952
16km NNW of Tehachapi, CA · depth 6 km
M 5.5 mlJuly 23, 1952
6km SSE of Arvin, CA · depth 6 km
M 5.5 mlJuly 23, 1952
13km ENE of Grapevine, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.8 mlJuly 23, 1952
16km NNW of Tehachapi, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.6 mlJuly 23, 1952
25km NNW of Tehachapi, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.8 mlJuly 23, 1952
25km NNW of Tehachapi, CA · depth 6 km
M 5.1 mlJuly 23, 1952
26km NE of Arvin, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.6 mlJuly 23, 1952
24km SW of Bodfish, CA · depth 6 km
M 5.4 mhJuly 23, 1952
25km SSW of Bodfish, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.6 mlJuly 22, 1952
3km NE of Grapevine, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.7 mlJuly 22, 1952
5km WSW of Grapevine, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.6 mlJuly 22, 1952
16km SSE of Arvin, CA · depth 6 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.