California earthquakes

M1.5 earthquake 14 km WNW of Fields Landing, California

A magnitude 1.5 earthquake struck 14 km WNW of Fields Landing, California on Mon, Oct 23, 1978, 7:39 AM PDT (14:39 UTC), 24 km (15 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.2 64 km W of Ferndale, 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: 1.5 (md), micro
Local time: Mon, Oct 23, 1978, 7:39 AM PDT
UTC: 1978-10-23 14:39:05 UTC
Depth: 23.7 km (14.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 40.758° N, 124.385° W
Region: California
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 1.5 km horizontally, 4.7 km in depth
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 236°, 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: 147 in the 60 days after this one and 109 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 147.

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1042980. Read Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 3:00 PM UTC.