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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 · 153 km W of Big Lagoon, CaliforniaJune 15, 2005M 7.2 · The 1992 Petrolia, California EarthquakeApril 25, 1992M 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 mwwMay 5, 2019
259 km W of Ferndale, California · depth 10 km
M 4.8 mwwApril 12, 2019
234 km W of Ferndale, California · depth 10 km
M 5.3 mwwJanuary 31, 2019
Baja California Sur, Mexico · depth 10 km
M 4.5 mwJuly 25, 2018
65km W of Petrolia, CA · depth 11 km
M 5.3 mwApril 5, 2018
31km SW of Santa Cruz Is. (E end), CA · depth 10 km
M 4.7 mwMarch 23, 2018
22km WNW of Petrolia, CA · depth 25 km
M 5.1 mwwJanuary 25, 2018
180 km W of Ferndale, California · depth 11 km
M 5.8 mwwJanuary 25, 2018
175 km W of Ferndale, California · depth 9 km
M 4.5 mwJanuary 7, 2018
82km W of Petrolia, CA · depth 29 km
M 4.6 mwNovember 13, 2017
18 km SSE of Tres Pinos, California · depth 6 km
M 5.7 mwwSeptember 22, 2017
218 km W of Ferndale, California · depth 13 km
M 4.6 mwJuly 29, 2017
99 km W of Trinidad, California · depth 24 km
M 5.1 mwJuly 29, 2017
80 km W of Indianola, California · depth 27 km
M 5.0 mwDecember 14, 2016
10 km W of Cobb, California · depth 1 km
M 4.7 mwrDecember 8, 2016
179 km W of Ferndale, California · depth 3 km
M 6.6 mwwDecember 8, 2016
164 km W of Ferndale, California · depth 8 km
M 5.6 mwSeptember 3, 2016
124 km WSW of Ferndale, California · depth 29 km
M 5.1 mwAugust 10, 2016
20 km NNE of Upper Lake, California · depth 14 km
M 4.8 mwJuly 21, 2016
19km SSE of Blue Lake, CA · depth 26 km
M 5.2 mwJune 10, 2016
20km NNW of Borrego Springs, CA · depth 12 km
M 4.5 mwMay 27, 2016
96 km WSW of Ferndale, California · depth 18 km
M 4.6 mbMarch 30, 2016
248 km W of Ferndale, California · depth 10 km
M 4.9 mwFebruary 24, 2016
6km SSW of Wasco, CA · depth 22 km
M 4.8 mwFebruary 16, 2016
8 km S of Wilkerson, California · depth 15 km
M 5.0 mwwJanuary 30, 2016
268 km W of Ferndale, California · depth 10 km
M 5.1 mwwJanuary 30, 2016
251 km W of Ferndale, California · depth 10 km
M 4.9 mwDecember 29, 2015
96 km W of Trinidad, California · depth 17 km
M 4.7 mlSeptember 14, 2015
43 km E of Fort Bidwell, California · depth 10 km
M 5.2 mbSeptember 13, 2015
Gulf of California · depth 10 km
M 4.5 mbAugust 13, 2015
264 km WSW of Crescent City, California · depth 10 km
M 4.5 mlJuly 27, 2015
43 km E of Fort Bidwell, California · depth 11 km
M 4.6 mlJuly 16, 2015
42 km E of Fort Bidwell, California · depth 10 km
M 5.4 mwwApril 24, 2015
245 km W of Ferndale, California · depth 10 km
M 4.7 mwrApril 10, 2015
161 km W of Ferndale, California · depth 20 km
M 5.7 mwJanuary 28, 2015
40 km SW of Ferndale, California · depth 17 km
M 4.5 mlJanuary 22, 2015
43 km E of Fort Bidwell, California · depth 12 km
M 5.4 mwJanuary 1, 2015
128 km W of Ferndale, California · depth 24 km
M 4.6 mwrDecember 19, 2014
261 km W of Ferndale, California · depth 10 km
M 4.6 mlNovember 13, 2014
44 km E of Fort Bidwell, California · depth 0 km
M 4.7 mlNovember 7, 2014
43 km E of Fort Bidwell, California · depth 0 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.