California earthquakes

M1.8 earthquake 39 km WSW of Ferndale, California

A magnitude 1.8 earthquake struck 39 km WSW of Ferndale, California on Mon, Sep 14, 1981, 9:24 AM PDT (16:24 UTC), 48 km (30 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.7 36 km SW of Ferndale, California. This one was a foreshock.

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude
1.8 (Md, duration), micro
Magnitude from
Northern California Seismic System
Local time
UTC
1981-09-14 16:24:30 UTC
Depth
47.6 km (29.6 mi), shallow
Epicenter
40.416° N, 124.682° 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 10.4 km horizontally, 6.7 km in depth
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
308°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
4

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: at least 200 in the 60 days after this one and 56 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of at least 200.

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1067612. Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 3:47 PM UTC.