California earthquakes

M4.3 earthquake 36 km SW of Ferndale, California

A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck 36 km SW of Ferndale, California on Mon, Apr 13, 1981, 2:16 PM PST (22:16 UTC), 23 km (15 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.6 58 km WSW of Ferndale, California. This one was a foreshock.

Ferndale forecastMore in California

Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude
4.3 (ml), light
Local time
UTC
1981-04-13 22:16:17 UTC
Depth
23.4 km (14.6 mi), shallow
Epicenter
40.325° N, 124.545° 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 0.9 km horizontally, 1.0 km in depth
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
234°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
43

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 177 in the 60 days after this one and 22 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 177.

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1062504 (also filed as usp0001d4x). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:21 AM UTC.