California earthquakes

M1.6 earthquake 30 km NNE of Potter Valley, California

A magnitude 1.6 earthquake struck 30 km NNE of Potter Valley, California on Sun, Dec 26, 1982, 7:34 AM PST (15:34 UTC), 14 km (9 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M2.0 6 km W of Cobb, 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), micro
Local time: Sun, Dec 26, 1982, 7:34 AM PST
UTC: 1982-12-26 15:34:15 UTC
Depth: 14.0 km (8.7 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 39.555° N, 122.915° 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 4.1 km horizontally, 3.9 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.23
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 279°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used: 5

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 131 in the 60 days after this one and 68 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 131.

Before

Earthquakes today California earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc1083521. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:11 PM UTC.