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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 5.8 mwSeptember 12, 1938
44 km SW of Ferndale, California · depth 15 km
M 5.5 msSeptember 12, 1938
7 km ESE of Shelter Cove, California
M 4.5 mlAugust 18, 1938
15km NE of Ludlow, CA · depth 6 km
M 5.0 mlJuly 1, 1938
4 km NE of Fieldbrook, California
M 5.2 mlMay 31, 1938
8km ENE of Trabuco Canyon, CA · depth 10 km
M 4.5 mlMay 10, 1938
14 km SSW of Greenfield, California
M 4.7 mlApril 28, 1938
28km SSE of San Clemente Is. (SE tip), CA · depth 6 km
M 4.5 mlFebruary 12, 1938
2 km ESE of Pasatiempo, California
M 4.5 mlJanuary 4, 1938
12 km SE of Anza, California · depth 16 km
M 4.5 mlOctober 27, 1937
3 km NNE of Chualar, California
M 4.6 mlAugust 19, 1937
53km NE of Mammoth Lakes, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.5 mlAugust 6, 1937
11 km NNW of Kirkwood, California
M 5.3 msJune 18, 1937
12 km SE of Eagleville, California
M 4.6 mlMay 25, 1937
31 km E of Cedarville, California
M 4.5 mlMarch 27, 1937
12 km SE of Anza, California · depth 16 km
M 5.5 msMarch 26, 1937
214 km W of Ferndale, California
M 6.0 mlMarch 25, 1937
16km WSW of Oasis, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.5 mlMarch 8, 1937
3 km SE of Piedmont, California
M 4.5 mlMarch 5, 1937
2 km W of Boronda, California
M 4.5 mlFebruary 17, 1937
14 km SE of Tres Pinos, California
M 5.9 mwFebruary 7, 1937
62 km W of Ferndale, California · depth 10 km
M 4.5 mlNovember 18, 1936
44km WNW of San Miguel Is., CA · depth 6 km
M 5.0 mlOctober 10, 1936
150 km WSW of Ferndale, California
M 6.1 mwJune 3, 1936
123 km WSW of Ferndale, California · depth 10 km
M 5.8 mlJune 3, 1936
191 km WSW of Ferndale, California
M 4.5 mlMay 27, 1936
Central California
M 4.8 mlMay 10, 1936
25km N of Dixon Lane-Meadow Creek, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.5 mlMay 9, 1936
17 km NNW of Mineral, California
M 4.5 mlMay 7, 1936
21 km SSW of Salton City, California · depth 16 km
M 4.7 mlFebruary 23, 1936
1km WSW of Grand Terrace, CA · depth 20 km
M 4.5 mlDecember 25, 1935
6 km SSW of Huntington Beach, California · depth 16 km
M 5.3 mlDecember 20, 1935
8km E of Holtville, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.8 mlNovember 4, 1935
5km S of Anza, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.6 mlOctober 24, 1935
17km WNW of Morongo Valley, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.5 mlOctober 24, 1935
14km W of Morongo Valley, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.9 mlOctober 24, 1935
13km WNW of Morongo Valley, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.6 mlOctober 11, 1935
3km SW of Westmorland, CA · depth 6 km
M 4.6 mlJuly 13, 1935
0km S of Citrus, CA · depth 3 km
M 4.5 mlJune 19, 1935
10 km WSW of Wilkerson, California · depth 16 km
M 5.0 mlJune 3, 1935
4 km NE of Fieldbrook, 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.