California earthquakes

M1.7 earthquake 16 km WNW of Fields Landing, California

A magnitude 1.7 earthquake struck 16 km WNW of Fields Landing, California on Tue, Dec 26, 1978, 4:05 PM PST (00:05 UTC), 20 km (12 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.2 13 km WNW of Samoa, 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: 1.7 (md), micro
Local time: Tue, Dec 26, 1978, 4:05 PM PST
UTC: 1978-12-27 00:05:22 UTC
Depth: 19.8 km (12.3 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 40.773° N, 124.400° 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, 0.8 km in depth
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 239°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used: 9

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 140 in the 60 days after this one and 68 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 140.

Before

Earthquakes today California earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1043897. Read Wed, Sep 30, 2026, 2:00 AM UTC.