California earthquakes

M1.7 earthquake 26 km SW of Ferndale, California

A magnitude 1.7 earthquake struck 26 km SW of Ferndale, California on Tue, Dec 15, 1981, 3:14 PM PST (23:14 UTC), 38 km (24 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M1.7 23 km WSW 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
1.7 (md), micro
Local time
UTC
1981-12-15 23:14:55 UTC
Depth
38.5 km (23.9 mi), shallow
Epicenter
40.425° N, 124.509° 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 6.4 km horizontally, 2.8 km in depth
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
301°, 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: 116 in the 60 days after this one and 42 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 116.

Before

Earthquakes todayCalifornia earthquakesLive radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1070335. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:27 AM UTC.