California earthquakes

M2.5 earthquake 4 km SE of Palermo, California

A magnitude 2.5 earthquake struck 4 km SE of Palermo, California on Mon, May 1, 1978, 9:00 PM PDT (04:00 UTC), 5 km (3 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.0 4 km SE of Palermo, California. This one was a foreshock.

Palermo forecastMore in California

Map

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

Open the live map with earthquakes

The earthquake

Magnitude
2.5 (Md, duration), micro
Magnitude from
Northern California Seismic System
Local time
UTC
1978-05-02 04:00:49 UTC
Depth
5.0 km (3.1 mi), shallow
Epicenter
39.404° N, 121.498° 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 0.3 km horizontally, 1.0 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.13
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
94°
Stations used
14

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 23 in the 60 days after this one and 9 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 2.30 km WNW of Oroville East, California · 17680 days ago · 4 km deep · 12 km away
  2. 1.88 km SSW of Guinda, California · 17678 days ago · 10 km deep · 96 km away
  3. 2.33 km S of Palermo, California · 17678 days ago · 10 km deep · 4 km away
  4. 1.97 km N of Thermalito, California · 17675 days ago · 4 km deep · 21 km away
  5. 1.73 km NE of Oroville, California · 17672 days ago · 10 km deep · 14 km away
  6. 1.95 km SE of Palermo, California · 17666 days ago · 6 km deep · 1 km away
  7. 2.25 km SE of Palermo, California · 17663 days ago · 4 km deep · 1 km away
  8. 1.96 km NE of Princeton, California · 17663 days ago · 15 km deep · 40 km away
  9. 3.04 km SE of Palermo, California · 17659 days ago · 6 km deep · 1 km away
  10. 1.74 km SSE of Palermo, California · 17658 days ago · 5 km deep · 1 km away
  11. 1.66 km NNE of Rough and Ready, California · 17655 days ago · 9 km deep · 36 km away
  12. 2.96 km WNW of Nevada City, California · 17655 days ago · 12 km deep · 37 km away
  13. 1.812 km S of Willows, California · 17654 days ago · 24 km deep · 59 km away
  14. 1.67 km NNE of Rough and Ready, California · 17653 days ago · 9 km deep · 37 km away
  15. 1.57 km NNE of Rough and Ready, California · 17652 days ago · 11 km deep · 37 km away
  16. 1.66 km WNW of Nevada City, California · 17652 days ago · 9 km deep · 37 km away
  17. 2.35 km E of Los Molinos, California · 17650 days ago · -1 km deep · 82 km away
  18. 1.67 km NNE of Durham, California · 17643 days ago · 20 km deep · 40 km away
  19. 1.63 km NE of Palermo, California · 17641 days ago · 4 km deep · 6 km away
  20. 1.64 km SE of Palermo, California · 17640 days ago · 4 km deep · 1 km away
  21. 2.05 km ESE of Palermo, California · 17630 days ago · 6 km deep · 3 km away
  22. 1.64 km SSW of Hamilton City, California · 17630 days ago · 17 km deep · 58 km away
  23. 1.62 km ESE of Folsom, California · 17630 days ago · 10 km deep · 87 km away

Before

  1. 1.74 km SE of Palermo, California · 17688 days ago · 5 km deep · 0 km away
  2. 2.31 km ESE of Dunnigan, California · 17690 days ago · 17 km deep · 70 km away
  3. 2.21 km WSW of Oroville East, California · 17691 days ago · 3 km deep · 11 km away
  4. 2.217 km S of Soda Springs, California · 17693 days ago · 0 km deep · 99 km away
  5. 2.32 km SE of Stonyford, California · 17698 days ago · 6 km deep · 88 km away
  6. 2.25 km WNW of Bangor, California · 17702 days ago · 4 km deep · 2 km away
  7. 2.65 km W of Twain, California · 17704 days ago · 3 km deep · 76 km away
  8. 1.63 km NE of Oroville, California · 17705 days ago · 9 km deep · 15 km away
  9. 2.56 km WNW of Bangor, California · 17716 days ago · 5 km deep · 3 km away

Earthquakes todayCalifornia earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1040092. Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 1:44 PM UTC.