California earthquakes

M2.9 earthquake 36 km SSW of Ferndale, California

A magnitude 2.9 earthquake struck 36 km SSW of Ferndale, California on Sat, Jan 19, 1985, 4:14 PM PST (00:14 UTC), 7 km (4 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.0 52 km WSW of Ferndale, California. This one was a foreshock.

Ferndale forecastMore 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
2.9 (md), micro
Local time
UTC
1985-01-20 00:14:12 UTC
Depth
7.1 km (4.4 mi), shallow
Epicenter
40.277° N, 124.438° 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 1.3 km horizontally, 3.4 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.09
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
225°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
26

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 44 in the 60 days after this one and 31 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc38114. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 11:16 AM UTC.