California earthquakes

M2.4 earthquake 35 km SSW of Ferndale, California

A magnitude 2.4 earthquake struck 35 km SSW of Ferndale, California on Tue, Dec 1, 1981, 1:51 AM PST (09:51 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.8 72 km W of Ferndale, California. This one was a foreshock.

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Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude
2.4 (md), micro
Local time
UTC
1981-12-01 09:51:51 UTC
Depth
10.0 km (6.2 mi), shallow
Epicenter
40.288° N, 124.443° 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 1.2 km horizontally, 0.7 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.12
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
257°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
22

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 98 in the 60 days after this one and 65 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 98.

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1069884. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 10:10 AM UTC.