California earthquakes

M1.9 earthquake 5 km SE of Palermo, California

A magnitude 1.9 earthquake struck 5 km SE of Palermo, California on Mon, May 22, 1978, 3:32 PM PDT (22:32 UTC), 6 km (4 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.2 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
1.9 (Md, duration), micro
Magnitude from
Northern California Seismic System
Local time
UTC
1978-05-22 22:32:03 UTC
Depth
6.0 km (3.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter
39.398° 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
±0.06
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
91°
Stations used
10

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 33 in the 60 days after this one and 10 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 2.25 km SE of Palermo, California · 17662 days ago · 4 km deep · 1 km away
  2. 1.96 km NE of Princeton, California · 17661 days ago · 15 km deep · 41 km away
  3. 3.04 km SE of Palermo, California · 17658 days ago · 6 km deep · 1 km away
  4. 1.74 km SSE of Palermo, California · 17657 days ago · 5 km deep · 1 km away
  5. 1.66 km NNE of Rough and Ready, California · 17653 days ago · 9 km deep · 36 km away
  6. 2.96 km WNW of Nevada City, California · 17653 days ago · 12 km deep · 37 km away
  7. 1.812 km S of Willows, California · 17652 days ago · 24 km deep · 59 km away
  8. 1.67 km NNE of Rough and Ready, California · 17651 days ago · 9 km deep · 36 km away
  9. 1.57 km NNE of Rough and Ready, California · 17651 days ago · 11 km deep · 36 km away
  10. 1.66 km WNW of Nevada City, California · 17651 days ago · 9 km deep · 37 km away
  11. 2.35 km E of Los Molinos, California · 17648 days ago · -1 km deep · 82 km away
  12. 1.67 km NNE of Durham, California · 17641 days ago · 20 km deep · 40 km away
  13. 1.63 km NE of Palermo, California · 17639 days ago · 4 km deep · 6 km away
  14. 1.64 km SE of Palermo, California · 17639 days ago · 4 km deep · 1 km away
  15. 2.05 km ESE of Palermo, California · 17629 days ago · 6 km deep · 3 km away
  16. 1.64 km SSW of Hamilton City, California · 17629 days ago · 17 km deep · 58 km away
  17. 1.62 km ESE of Folsom, California · 17629 days ago · 10 km deep · 86 km away
  18. 2.03 km E of Palermo, California · 17624 days ago · 7 km deep · 4 km away
  19. 1.82 km E of Palermo, California · 17621 days ago · 7 km deep · 4 km away
  20. 2.64 km SE of Palermo, California · 17617 days ago · 6 km deep · 1 km away
  21. 2.24 km SE of Palermo, California · 17616 days ago · 6 km deep · 1 km away
  22. 3.24 km SE of Palermo, California · 17616 days ago · 7 km deep · 1 km away
  23. 2.44 km SE of Palermo, California · 17616 days ago · 6 km deep · 1 km away
  24. 3.04 km SE of Palermo, California · 17616 days ago · 7 km deep · 1 km away
  25. 2.04 km SE of Palermo, California · 17616 days ago · 6 km deep · 1 km away
  26. 2.24 km SE of Palermo, California · 17616 days ago · 6 km deep · 1 km away
  27. 2.64 km SE of Palermo, California · 17615 days ago · 6 km deep · 1 km away
  28. 2.36 km NE of Loma Rica, California · 17615 days ago · 6 km deep · 13 km away
  29. 2.216 km ENE of Willows, California · 17614 days ago · 20 km deep · 48 km away
  30. 1.85 km ESE of Palermo, California · 17613 days ago · 5 km deep · 2 km away
  31. 2.95 km ESE of Palermo, California · 17611 days ago · 5 km deep · 2 km away
  32. 2.03 km SE of Palermo, California · 17608 days ago · 6 km deep · 1 km away
  33. 1.92 km N of Palermo, California · 17606 days ago · 8 km deep · 8 km away

Before

  1. 1.73 km NE of Oroville, California · 17671 days ago · 10 km deep · 15 km away
  2. 1.97 km N of Thermalito, California · 17674 days ago · 4 km deep · 22 km away
  3. 2.33 km S of Palermo, California · 17677 days ago · 10 km deep · 4 km away
  4. 1.88 km SSW of Guinda, California · 17677 days ago · 10 km deep · 96 km away
  5. 2.30 km WNW of Oroville East, California · 17679 days ago · 4 km deep · 13 km away
  6. 2.54 km SE of Palermo, California · 17685 days ago · 5 km deep · 1 km away
  7. 1.74 km SE of Palermo, California · 17686 days ago · 5 km deep · 1 km away
  8. 2.31 km ESE of Dunnigan, California · 17688 days ago · 17 km deep · 70 km away
  9. 2.21 km WSW of Oroville East, California · 17690 days ago · 3 km deep · 12 km away
  10. 2.217 km S of Soda Springs, California · 17692 days ago · 0 km deep · 99 km away

Earthquakes todayCalifornia earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1040376. Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 9:29 AM UTC.