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
'00
'10
'20
'30
'40
'50
'60
'70
'80
'90
'00
'10
'20
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 mlApril 25, 1908
Near Monterey, California
M 5.3 mwSeptember 20, 1907
Near San Bernardino, California
M 6.4 mwAugust 11, 1907
Off the coast of Northern California
M 5.7 mlDecember 7, 1906
Southwest of Cambria, California
M 6.4 msApril 23, 1906
Northwest of Eureka, California
M 6.3 mwApril 19, 1906
The 1906 Imperial Valley, California Earthquake
M 7.9 mwApril 18, 1906
The 1906 San Francisco, California Earthquake · depth 12 km
M 4.5 mlMarch 3, 1906
San Diego County, California
M 5.8 mlDecember 23, 1905
Near Bakersfield, California
M 6.1 mwMay 26, 1905
Northwest of Huron, California
M 5.0 mlJanuary 6, 1905
30 km ENE of Bakersfield, California
M 4.5 mlJuly 30, 1904
Southwest of Woodland, California
M 4.5 mlApril 16, 1904
9 km S of Redding, California
M 6.2 mwAugust 3, 1903
Near San Jose, California
M 4.5 mlJuly 24, 1903
Near Willows, California
M 6.1 mwJune 11, 1903
Near San Jose, California
M 6.6 msJanuary 24, 1903
Colorado River Delta area, Baja California, Mexico
M 7.1 mwDecember 12, 1902
Baja California, Mexico
M 5.8 mlJuly 31, 1902
Near Los Alamos, California
M 5.8 mlJuly 28, 1902
Near Los Alamos, California
M 4.5 mlJune 11, 1902
Near Winchester, California
M 5.4 mlMay 19, 1902
South of Elmira, California
M 7.1 mwDecember 9, 1901
Gulf of California
M 6.4 msMarch 3, 1901
1901 Parkfield, California Earthquake
M 4.5 mlApril 30, 1900
Near Aromas, 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.