California earthquakes

M1.6 earthquake 2 km NNW of Arcata, California

A magnitude 1.6 earthquake struck 2 km NNW of Arcata, California on Fri, Nov 24, 1978, 12:34 PM PST (20:34 UTC), 21 km (13 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M1.7 25 km SW of Ferndale, California. This one was a foreshock.

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude
1.6 (md), micro
Local time
UTC
1978-11-24 20:34:34 UTC
Depth
21.4 km (13.3 mi), shallow
Epicenter
40.886° N, 124.092° W
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

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 1.1 km horizontally, 1.3 km in depth
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
188°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
7

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 123 in the 60 days after this one and 75 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 123.

Before

Earthquakes todayCalifornia earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1043487. Read Wed, Sep 23, 2026, 3:22 AM UTC.