California earthquakes

M3.4 earthquake 37 km SW of Ferndale, California

A magnitude 3.4 earthquake struck 37 km SW of Ferndale, California on Sat, Jan 24, 1976, 4:26 AM PST (12:26 UTC), 24 km (15 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.4 88 km WSW of Ferndale, California. This one was a foreshock.

Ferndale forecastMore in California

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
3.4 (ML, local (Richter)), minor
Magnitude from
Northern California Seismic System
Local time
UTC
1976-01-24 12:26:05 UTC
Depth
23.7 km (14.8 mi), shallow
Epicenter
40.311° N, 124.544° W
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

Magnitude estimates

Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.

Mag.ScaleComputed byNotes
3.4ML, local (Richter)Northern California Seismic SystemPreferred · Final · 0 stations
3.4ML, local (Richter)USGS National Earthquake Information CenterReviewed

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty
About 5.9 km horizontally, 1.6 km in depth
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
309°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
13

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 8 in the 60 days after this one and 18 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 2.111 km S of Ferndale, California · 18515 days ago · 21 km deep · 30 km away
  2. 4.072 km WSW of Ferndale, California · 18515 days ago · 10 km deep · 49 km away
  3. 4.488 km WSW of Ferndale, California · 18515 days ago · 33 km deep · 60 km away
  4. 2.029 km WSW of Ferndale, California · 18514 days ago · 23 km deep · 21 km away
  5. 1.84 km S of McKinleyville, California · 18508 days ago · 18 km deep · 76 km away
  6. 2.722 km SSW of Ferndale, California · 18501 days ago · 17 km deep · 17 km away
  7. 3.977 km W of Ferndale, California · 18499 days ago · 6 km deep · 57 km away
  8. 3.541 km SW of Ferndale, California · 18486 days ago · 33 km deep · 9 km away

Before

  1. 2.115 km E of Redcrest, California · 18517 days ago · 6 km deep · 66 km away
  2. 2.18 km W of Rio Dell, California · 18518 days ago · 20 km deep · 35 km away
  3. 2.164 km W of Ferndale, California · 18519 days ago · 5 km deep · 43 km away
  4. 4.676 km WSW of Ferndale, California · 18521 days ago · 7 km deep · 53 km away
  5. 2.04 km NW of Fields Landing, California · 18521 days ago · 25 km deep · 55 km away
  6. 2.937 km SW of Ferndale, California · 18522 days ago · 20 km deep · 4 km away
  7. 1.721 km SSW of Ferndale, California · 18522 days ago · 22 km deep · 19 km away
  8. 1.54 km NNW of Fields Landing, California · 18522 days ago · 24 km deep · 56 km away
  9. 4.119 km WNW of Indianola, California · 18523 days ago · 24 km deep · 47 km away
  10. 2.219 km NW of Mad River, California · 18535 days ago · 24 km deep · 78 km away
  11. 3.013 km N of Alderpoint, California · 18538 days ago · 32 km deep · 77 km away
  12. 1.577 km WSW of Ferndale, California · 18539 days ago · 12 km deep · 49 km away
  13. 2.0off the coast of Northern California · 18540 days ago · 5 km deep · 43 km away
  14. 2.735 km SW of Ferndale, California · 18541 days ago · 29 km deep · 3 km away
  15. 1.531 km WSW of Ferndale, California · 18544 days ago · 22 km deep · 22 km away
  16. 1.61 km SE of Benbow, California · 18544 days ago · 19 km deep · 72 km away
  17. 2.841 km WNW of Ferndale, California · 18544 days ago · 20 km deep · 42 km away
  18. 3.244 km W of Indianola, California · 18545 days ago · 27 km deep · 49 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1028543 (also filed as usp0000epx). Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 3:56 AM UTC.