California earthquakes

M2.8 earthquake 14 km NNW of Belden, California

A magnitude 2.8 earthquake struck 14 km NNW of Belden, California on Fri, Feb 17, 1978, 5:39 AM PST (13:39 UTC), 11 km (7 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.1 Northern California. This one was a foreshock.

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Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude
2.8 (Md, duration), micro
Magnitude from
Northern California Seismic System
Local time
UTC
1978-02-17 13:39:43 UTC
Depth
10.8 km (6.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter
40.127° N, 121.305° 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 0.9 km horizontally, 0.9 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.17
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
184°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
21

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 11 in the 60 days after this one and 10 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 2.116 km WSW of Durham, California · 17752 days ago · 21 km deep · 83 km away
  2. 3.1Northern California · 17750 days ago · 10 km deep · 68 km away
  3. 1.87 km N of Princeton, California · 17741 days ago · 18 km deep · 94 km away
  4. 2.14 km S of Oroville East, California · 17724 days ago · 0 km deep · 75 km away
  5. 1.52 km WSW of Oroville East, California · 17723 days ago · 7 km deep · 71 km away
  6. 1.84 km ESE of Palermo, California · 17722 days ago · 7 km deep · 80 km away
  7. 2.56 km WNW of Bangor, California · 17717 days ago · 5 km deep · 80 km away
  8. 1.63 km NE of Oroville, California · 17705 days ago · 9 km deep · 69 km away
  9. 2.65 km W of Twain, California · 17704 days ago · 3 km deep · 18 km away
  10. 1.810 km NNW of Loyalton, California · 17703 days ago · 0 km deep · 97 km away
  11. 2.25 km WNW of Bangor, California · 17702 days ago · 4 km deep · 81 km away

Before

  1. 3.013 km NNW of Belden, California · 17761 days ago · 14 km deep · 2 km away
  2. 2.98 km SW of Lake Almanor West, California · 17764 days ago · 15 km deep · 7 km away
  3. 3.214 km NE of Proberta, California · 17765 days ago · 13 km deep · 64 km away
  4. 1.96 km SW of Plumas Eureka (historical), California · 17770 days ago · 2 km deep · 65 km away
  5. 3.412 km NNW of Belden, California · 17776 days ago · 13 km deep · 2 km away
  6. 3.613 km NNW of Belden, California · 17776 days ago · 14 km deep · 3 km away
  7. 2.714 km NNW of Belden, California · 17776 days ago · 11 km deep · 3 km away
  8. 2.312 km WSW of Chester, California · 17785 days ago · 3 km deep · 14 km away
  9. 3.83 km WNW of Lake Almanor Peninsula, California · 17788 days ago · 8 km deep · 21 km away
  10. 3.14 km W of Lake Almanor Peninsula, California · 17788 days ago · 0 km deep · 20 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1038965. Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 5:59 AM UTC.