California earthquakes

M4.8 earthquake 122 km W of Ferndale, California

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck 122 km W of Ferndale, California on Wed, Jan 13, 1982, 4:26 AM PST (12:26 UTC), 5 km (3 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M5.2 85 km W of Trinidad, California. This one was a foreshock.

Ferndale forecast More in California

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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: 4.8 (ml), light
Local time: Wed, Jan 13, 1982, 4:26 AM PST
UTC: 1982-01-13 12:26:21 UTC
Depth: 4.6 km (2.9 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 40.398° N, 125.689° W
Region: California
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 3.5 km horizontally, 16.7 km in depth
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 280°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used: 64

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.8 and up: 39 in the 60 days after this one and 15 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

Earthquakes today California earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1071203 (also filed as gcmtb011382d, ushis3736, usp0001j0r, gcmt19820113122625, iscgem605489). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:14 AM UTC.