California earthquakes

M1.8 earthquake 7 km SW of Whitehawk, California

A magnitude 1.8 earthquake struck 7 km SW of Whitehawk, California on Fri, Aug 25, 1978, 10:58 AM PDT (17:58 UTC), 18 km (11 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.0 13 km N of Virginia City, Nevada. 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
1.8 (Ma), micro
Magnitude from
Northern California Seismic System
Local time
UTC
1978-08-25 17:58:04 UTC
Depth
17.5 km (10.9 mi), shallow
Epicenter
39.673° N, 120.608° 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 0.8 km horizontally, 3.0 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.14
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
262°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
16

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 8 in the 60 days after this one and 9 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 1.81 km E of Oroville East, California · 17571 days ago · 11 km deep · 75 km away
  2. 2.74 km SE of Palermo, California · 17570 days ago · 6 km deep · 82 km away
  3. 1.65 km WNW of Bangor, California · 17566 days ago · 5 km deep · 79 km away
  4. 2.64 km NE of Cromberg, California · 17543 days ago · 11 km deep · 24 km away
  5. 3.013 km N of Virginia City, Nevada · 17525 days ago · 5 km deep · 87 km away
  6. 1.7Northern California · 17521 days ago · 1 km deep · 67 km away
  7. 1.83 km NNW of Verdi, California · 17514 days ago · 0 km deep · 51 km away
  8. 1.93 km N of Verdi, California · 17511 days ago · 1 km deep · 52 km away

Before

  1. 1.62 km NNE of Little Grass Valley, California · 17572 days ago · 9 km deep · 31 km away
  2. 2.35 km SE of Bucks Lake, California · 17573 days ago · 1 km deep · 49 km away
  3. 2.04 km S of Oroville East, California · 17574 days ago · 2 km deep · 78 km away
  4. 1.810 km W of La Porte, California · 17580 days ago · 8 km deep · 43 km away
  5. 2.111 km NNE of Clipper Mills, California · 17580 days ago · 15 km deep · 45 km away
  6. 2.56 km ESE of Bucks Lake, California · 17581 days ago · 0 km deep · 47 km away
  7. 2.21 km ESE of South Oroville, California · 17582 days ago · 3 km deep · 82 km away
  8. 1.74 km ESE of Palermo, California · 17595 days ago · 5 km deep · 82 km away
  9. 1.76 km WSW of Plumas Eureka (historical), California · 17599 days ago · -1 km deep · 16 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1041867. Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 3:24 PM UTC.