California earthquakes

M1.7 earthquake 26 km WSW of Ferndale, California

A magnitude 1.7 earthquake struck 26 km WSW of Ferndale, California on Sat, Sep 19, 1981, 5:42 AM PDT (12:42 UTC), 25 km (16 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.0 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
1.7 (Md, duration), micro
Magnitude from
Northern California Seismic System
Local time
UTC
1981-09-19 12:42:35 UTC
Depth
25.4 km (15.8 mi), shallow
Epicenter
40.458° N, 124.532° 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 4.5 km horizontally, 2.4 km in depth
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
293°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
6

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 189 in the 60 days after this one and 75 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 189.

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1067783. Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 4:04 AM UTC.