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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 4.5 mlOctober 22, 1940
0 km E of Rio Dell, California
M 4.7 mlOctober 11, 1940
8km WSW of Palos Verdes Estates, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.5 mlSeptember 27, 1940
near the coast of Northern California
M 4.5 mlSeptember 7, 1940
5 km W of Gonzales, California
M 4.6 mlJuly 22, 1940
17km E of Mammoth Lakes, CA · depth 6 km
M 5.0 mlJune 4, 1940
26km NE of Pine Valley, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.6 mlJune 1, 1940
5km SE of Joshua Tree, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.5 mlMay 19, 1940
5 km NE of Heber, California · depth 16 km
M 5.2 mlMay 19, 1940
7km ESE of Imperial, CA · depth 6 km
M 5.2 mlMay 19, 1940
7km ESE of Imperial, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.7 mlMay 19, 1940
7km ESE of Imperial, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.7 mlMay 19, 1940
7km ESE of Imperial, CA · depth 6 km
M 5.4 mlMay 19, 1940
6km E of Imperial, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.9 mlMay 19, 1940
7km ESE of Imperial, CA · depth 6 km
M 5.2 mlMay 19, 1940
7km ESE of Imperial, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.7 mlMay 19, 1940
7km ESE of Imperial, CA · depth 6 km
M 6.9 mwMay 19, 1940
The 1940 Imperial Valley, California Earthquake · depth 6 km
M 5.0 mlMay 18, 1940
12km S of Joshua Tree, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.5 mlMay 18, 1940
11km SSE of Joshua Tree, CA · depth 6 km
M 5.2 mlMay 18, 1940
11km S of Joshua Tree, CA · depth 6 km
M 5.3 mlMay 18, 1940
6km SSE of Joshua Tree, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.5 mlFebruary 28, 1940
14km E of Ocotillo Wells, CA · depth 6 km
M 5.2 mlDecember 28, 1939
26km NNW of Lake Nacimiento, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.5 mlDecember 27, 1939
3km ESE of Rolling Hills, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.5 mlJuly 17, 1939
5 km ESE of Las Lomas, California
M 5.5 mlJune 24, 1939
7 km SW of Hollister, California
M 4.5 mlMay 1, 1939
55 km SW of Ferndale, California
M 4.5 mlApril 19, 1939
57 km WSW of La Jolla, California · depth 16 km
M 5.0 mlMarch 17, 1939
148 km W of Ferndale, California
M 4.9 mlMarch 12, 1939
144 km WNW of Indianola, California
M 4.6 mlFebruary 23, 1939
9km WSW of Grapevine, CA · depth 6 km
M 5.5 faJanuary 11, 1939
California-Nevada border region
M 4.8 mlJanuary 7, 1939
26km NW of Searles Valley, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.7 mlDecember 3, 1938
27km NW of West Bishop, CA · depth 6 km
M 5.5 mlDecember 3, 1938
32km E of Mammoth Lakes, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.5 mlDecember 1, 1938
12 km NE of Milpitas, California
M 4.5 mlNovember 22, 1938
5 km NW of Parkfield, California
M 4.5 mlOctober 18, 1938
7 km ESE of Shelter Cove, California
M 4.9 mlSeptember 27, 1938
5km NE of Greenfield, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.8 mlSeptember 17, 1938
2km E of Ridgecrest, 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.