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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

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Strongest in California

All recorded earthquakes

M 4.6 mwJune 12, 2007
14km SE of Mammoth Lakes, CA · depth 8 km
M 4.5 mwMay 9, 2007
57km W of Petrolia, CA · depth -1 km
M 5.2 mwMay 9, 2007
67 km WSW of Ferndale, California · depth -0 km
M 4.8 mwApril 18, 2007
15 km N of Potter Valley, California · depth 5 km
M 4.7 mwMarch 9, 2007
13 km SE of Walker, California · depth 7 km
M 5.4 mhFebruary 26, 2007
52km W of Ferndale, CA · depth 5 km
M 5.4 mwFebruary 26, 2007
51 km W of Ferndale, California · depth -1 km
M 4.6 mlNovember 3, 2006
8km SW of Ocotillo, CA · depth 13 km
M 4.6 mwOctober 20, 2006
7 km NW of Cobb, California · depth 3 km
M 4.9 mwcOctober 17, 2006
171 km W of Ferndale, CA · depth 10 km
M 4.5 mwAugust 3, 2006
5 km W of Glen Ellen, California · depth 9 km
M 5.0 mwJuly 19, 2006
35 km SSW of Ferndale, California · depth 20 km
M 4.7 mwMay 12, 2006
7 km W of Cobb, California · depth 4 km
M 4.5 mwMarch 26, 2006
15km WSW of Petrolia, CA · depth 22 km
M 5.0 mwcMarch 22, 2006
174 km W of Ferndale, California · depth 10 km
M 4.6 mwDecember 23, 2005
93 km W of Ferndale, California · depth 3 km
M 5.0 mlOctober 16, 2005
44km SSE of San Clemente Is. (SE tip), CA · depth 10 km
M 4.7 mwSeptember 22, 2005
14km NW of Grapevine, CA · depth 10 km
M 5.1 mwSeptember 2, 2005
13km WNW of Calipatria, CA · depth 1 km
M 4.5 mhSeptember 2, 2005
12km WNW of Calipatria, CA · depth 5 km
M 4.6 mlAugust 31, 2005
10km SW of Niland, CA · depth 4 km
M 4.6 mlAugust 31, 2005
12km WNW of Calipatria, CA · depth 4 km
M 4.5 mbJune 28, 2005
Baja California Sur, Mexico · depth 10 km
M 4.8 mwJune 26, 2005
8 km NNW of Tahoe Vista, California · depth -2 km
M 4.9 mwcJune 19, 2005
198 km W of Ferndale, California · depth 10 km
M 4.5 mbJune 17, 2005
172 km W of Ferndale, California · depth 10 km
M 4.7 mbJune 17, 2005
174 km WNW of Ferndale, California · depth 10 km
M 6.6 mwbJune 17, 2005
196 km W of Ferndale, California · depth 12 km
M 4.9 mwJune 16, 2005
4km NE of Yucaipa, CA · depth 11 km
M 4.7 mwrJune 15, 2005
181 km W of Ferndale, California · depth 10 km
M 4.6 mwrJune 15, 2005
190 km W of Ferndale, California · depth 10 km
M 7.2 mwcJune 15, 2005
153 km W of Big Lagoon, California · depth 16 km
M 5.2 mwJune 12, 2005
10km ESE of Anza, CA · depth 13 km
M 4.6 mwApril 16, 2005
20km ESE of Maricopa, CA · depth 9 km
M 4.8 mwMarch 18, 2005
64 km WSW of Ferndale, California · depth 17 km
M 4.5 mwOctober 9, 2004
23 km NW of Benton, California · depth 5 km
M 4.9 mwSeptember 30, 2004
13 km NW of Parkfield, California · depth 10 km
M 5.0 mwSeptember 29, 2004
25km SSW of Bodfish, California · depth 3 km
M 5.0 mwSeptember 29, 2004
8 km NW of Parkfield, California · depth 11 km
M 4.7 mwSeptember 28, 2004
12 km SE of Parkfield, California · 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.