California earthquakes

M1.6 earthquake 14 km WNW of Chester, California

A magnitude 1.6 earthquake struck 14 km WNW of Chester, California on Mon, Jan 16, 1978, 8:58 PM PST (04:58 UTC), 3 km (2 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.8 3 km WNW of Lake Almanor Peninsula, California. This one was a foreshock.

Chester 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
1.6 (Md, duration), micro
Magnitude from
Northern California Seismic System
Local time
UTC
1978-01-17 04:58:02 UTC
Depth
2.9 km (1.8 mi), shallow
Epicenter
40.379° N, 121.380° 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 3.5 km horizontally, 27.9 km in depth
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
204°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
4

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 13 in the 60 days after this one and 52 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 1.714 km NNE of Mineral, California · 17792 days ago · 2 km deep · 16 km away
  2. 3.14 km W of Lake Almanor Peninsula, California · 17788 days ago · 0 km deep · 20 km away
  3. 3.83 km WNW of Lake Almanor Peninsula, California · 17788 days ago · 8 km deep · 20 km away
  4. 2.312 km WSW of Chester, California · 17785 days ago · 3 km deep · 15 km away
  5. 2.714 km NNW of Belden, California · 17776 days ago · 11 km deep · 30 km away
  6. 3.613 km NNW of Belden, California · 17776 days ago · 14 km deep · 30 km away
  7. 3.412 km NNW of Belden, California · 17776 days ago · 13 km deep · 30 km away
  8. 1.96 km SW of Plumas Eureka (historical), California · 17770 days ago · 2 km deep · 90 km away
  9. 3.214 km NE of Proberta, California · 17765 days ago · 13 km deep · 61 km away
  10. 2.98 km SW of Lake Almanor West, California · 17764 days ago · 15 km deep · 23 km away
  11. 3.013 km NNW of Belden, California · 17761 days ago · 14 km deep · 30 km away
  12. 2.814 km NNW of Belden, California · 17761 days ago · 11 km deep · 29 km away
  13. 3.1Northern California · 17750 days ago · 10 km deep · 47 km away

Before

  1. 2.03 km W of Plumas Eureka (historical), California · 17796 days ago · 1 km deep · 88 km away
  2. 2.33 km NNE of Lake Almanor West, California · 17798 days ago · 2 km deep · 20 km away
  3. 2.97 km SSE of Canyondam, California · 17799 days ago · 9 km deep · 42 km away
  4. 2.96 km WSW of Greenville, California · 17799 days ago · 9 km deep · 43 km away
  5. 3.4Northern California · 17799 days ago · -1 km deep · 42 km away
  6. 2.2Northern California · 17801 days ago · 7 km deep · 38 km away
  7. 2.015 km NNE of Mineral, California · 17803 days ago · 2 km deep · 16 km away
  8. 2.75 km NE of Paynes Creek, California · 17806 days ago · 8 km deep · 42 km away
  9. 2.76 km NE of Chester, California · 17809 days ago · 0 km deep · 18 km away
  10. 1.714 km NNE of Mineral, California · 17809 days ago · 0 km deep · 14 km away
  11. 2.217 km NE of Mineral, California · 17810 days ago · 6 km deep · 8 km away
  12. 2.415 km ENE of Mineral, California · 17810 days ago · -2 km deep · 4 km away
  13. 2.817 km ENE of Mineral, California · 17810 days ago · 5 km deep · 7 km away
  14. 1.617 km NE of Mineral, California · 17811 days ago · 6 km deep · 8 km away
  15. 1.717 km NE of Mineral, California · 17811 days ago · 6 km deep · 8 km away
  16. 2.217 km NE of Mineral, California · 17811 days ago · 6 km deep · 8 km away
  17. 1.617 km NE of Mineral, California · 17811 days ago · 6 km deep · 8 km away
  18. 1.917 km NE of Mineral, California · 17811 days ago · 6 km deep · 8 km away
  19. 2.217 km NE of Mineral, California · 17811 days ago · 6 km deep · 8 km away
  20. 2.917 km NE of Mineral, California · 17811 days ago · 6 km deep · 8 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1038621. Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 12:42 PM UTC.