California earthquakes

M3.1 earthquake 36 km SSW of Ferndale, California

A magnitude 3.1 earthquake struck 36 km SSW of Ferndale, California on Sun, Jun 21, 1981, 3:10 AM PDT (10:10 UTC), 22 km (14 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.0 87 km W 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
3.1 (ml), minor
Local time
UTC
1981-06-21 10:10:45 UTC
Depth
22.4 km (13.9 mi), shallow
Epicenter
40.298° N, 124.492° 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 1.3 km horizontally, 0.6 km in depth
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
250°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
24

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 136 in the 60 days after this one and 63 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 136.

Before

Earthquakes todayCalifornia earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1064740. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:33 PM UTC.