California earthquakes

M2.1 earthquake 8 km NW of Fields Landing, California

A magnitude 2.1 earthquake struck 8 km NW of Fields Landing, California on Sun, Dec 16, 1979, 6:37 AM PST (14:37 UTC), 26 km (16 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.2 61 km W of Ferndale, California. This one was a foreshock.

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 2.1 (Md, duration), micro
Magnitude from: Northern California Seismic System
Local time: Sun, Dec 16, 1979, 6:37 AM PST
UTC: 1979-12-16 14:37:42 UTC
Depth: 26.0 km (16.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 40.782° N, 124.290° 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 0.9 km horizontally, 0.6 km in depth
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 219°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used: 12

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 78 in the 60 days after this one and 49 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 78.

Before

Earthquakes today California earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1049382. Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 5:52 PM UTC.