California earthquakes

M1.6 earthquake 38 km WSW of Ferndale, California

A magnitude 1.6 earthquake struck 38 km WSW of Ferndale, California on Mon, Oct 19, 1981, 8:48 AM PDT (15:48 UTC), 31 km (19 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
1.6 (Md, duration), micro
Magnitude from
Northern California Seismic System
Local time
UTC
1981-10-19 15:48:13 UTC
Depth
31.0 km (19.3 mi), shallow
Epicenter
40.432° N, 124.671° 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 3.8 km horizontally, 1.9 km in depth
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
302°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
7

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 143 in the 60 days after this one and 92 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 143.

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1068762. Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 4:21 PM UTC.