California earthquakes

M4.7 earthquake 130 km W of Ferndale, California

A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck 130 km W of Ferndale, California on Sat, Mar 14, 1981, 10:07 PM PST (06:07 UTC), 7 km (4 mi) below the surface.

Ferndale 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
4.7 (ml), light
Local time
UTC
1981-03-15 06:07:39 UTC
Depth
6.9 km (4.3 mi), shallow
Epicenter
40.409° N, 125.786° 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 4.8 km horizontally, 18.2 km in depth
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
293°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
47

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.7 and up: 40 in the 60 days after this one and 11 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

Earthquakes todayCalifornia earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1061352 (also filed as ushis3709, usp0001cq8). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 12:17 PM UTC.