California earthquakes

M1.6 earthquake 43 km SW of Ferndale, California

A magnitude 1.6 earthquake struck 43 km SW of Ferndale, California on Tue, Aug 31, 1982, 5:39 PM PDT (00:39 UTC), 19 km (12 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.3 62 km WNW of Indianola, 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
1.6 (Md, duration), micro
Magnitude from
Northern California Seismic System
Local time
UTC
1982-09-01 00:39:09 UTC
Depth
19.1 km (11.9 mi), shallow
Epicenter
40.290° N, 124.608° 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 3.3 km horizontally, 0.8 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.08
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
284°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
11

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 121 in the 60 days after this one and 50 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 121.

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1078375. Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 12:08 PM UTC.