California earthquakes

M1.6 earthquake 29 km SSW of Ferndale, California

A magnitude 1.6 earthquake struck 29 km SSW of Ferndale, California on Thu, Sep 16, 1982, 1:31 AM PDT (08:31 UTC), 17 km (10 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.3 15 km WSW 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
1982-09-16 08:31:11 UTC
Depth
16.9 km (10.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
40.353° N, 124.453° 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 2.3 km horizontally, 0.5 km in depth
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
264°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
6

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 100 in the 60 days after this one and 71 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 100.

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1078997. Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 7:19 PM UTC.