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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 mwJuly 25, 1926
29 km NE of San Lucas, California · depth 10 km
M 5.0 mlJune 30, 1926
25 km SSW of Posey, California
M 5.5 mlJune 29, 1926
10 km NE of Toro Canyon, California
M 5.5 mlApril 3, 1926
15 km SSE of Twentynine Palms, California
M 5.5 ukFebruary 18, 1926
30 km SW of Channel Islands Beach, California
M 4.8 mlAugust 21, 1925
25 km NE of Benton, California
M 4.5 mlAugust 8, 1925
13 km E of Temecula, California
M 6.8 mwJune 29, 1925
The 1925 Santa Barbara, California Earthquake · depth 10 km
M 6.0 msJune 4, 1925
72 km WSW of Crescent City, California
M 4.8 ukJanuary 26, 1925
1 km NE of Samoa, California
M 4.5 mlApril 3, 1924
14 km ESE of East Foothills, California
M 4.6 ukMarch 9, 1924
5 km SSW of Spreckels, California
M 4.8 ukJanuary 9, 1924
1 km NE of Samoa, California
M 6.2 mwJuly 23, 1923
3 km SE of San Bernardino, California · depth 5 km
M 5.6 msApril 29, 1923
71 km WNW of Samoa, California
M 5.8 mwApril 29, 1923
42 km WSW of Shelter Cove, California · depth 15 km
M 5.0 ukFebruary 9, 1923
1 km NE of Samoa, California
M 7.1 mwJanuary 22, 1923
The 1923 Humboldt County, California Earthquake · depth 15 km
M 5.0 mlAugust 18, 1922
11 km NNE of Shandon, California
M 5.0 ukMarch 16, 1922
11 km NNE of Shandon, California
M 6.5 msMarch 10, 1922
1922 Parkfield, California Earthquake
M 7.4 mwJanuary 31, 1922
123 km W of Big Lagoon, California · depth 15 km
M 6.0 msJanuary 26, 1922
153 km WNW of Indianola, California
M 4.5 mlDecember 5, 1920
10 km NE of Toro Canyon, California
M 5.2 ukOctober 5, 1920
5 km SSW of Spreckels, California
M 4.9 mlJune 22, 1920
The 1920 Inglewood, California Earthquake
M 5.5 mwMarch 20, 1920
33 km NW of Rancho Tehama Reserve, California · depth 15 km
M 5.0 mlJanuary 1, 1920
16 km NW of Julian, California
M 5.2 mlDecember 19, 1919
23 km S of Walker, California
M 4.5 mlNovember 25, 1919
5 km NNE of Day Valley, California
M 4.6 ukFebruary 25, 1919
1 km NW of Fetters Hot Springs-Agua Caliente, California
M 5.0 mlFebruary 16, 1919
7 km SSW of Mettler, California
M 6.5 mwJuly 15, 1918
52 km WNW of Big Lagoon, California · depth 15 km
M 5.0 mlJune 6, 1918
4 km WNW of San Jacinto, California
M 5.0 mlMay 1, 1918
2 km N of Calexico, California
M 6.7 mwApril 21, 1918
The 1918 San Jacinto, California Earthquake · depth 10 km
M 4.8 ukJuly 26, 1917
Near Santa Maria, California
M 6.4 mwJune 10, 1917
off the coast of Northern California · depth 15 km
M 5.5 mlMay 28, 1917
Near Holtville, California
M 4.5 mlApril 13, 1917
Santa Barbara Channel, 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.