California earthquakes

M3.6 earthquake 56 km WSW of Ferndale, California

A magnitude 3.6 earthquake struck 56 km WSW of Ferndale, California on Sat, Sep 21, 1985, 4:58 AM PDT (11:58 UTC), 7 km (4 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.1 75 km WNW of Ferndale, California. This one was a foreshock.

Ferndale forecastMore in California

Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
3.6 (ml), minor
Local time
UTC
1985-09-21 11:58:01 UTC
Depth
6.5 km (4.1 mi), shallow
Epicenter
40.382° N, 124.876° 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 1.1 km horizontally, 1.6 km in depth
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
246°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
23

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 41 in the 60 days after this one and 14 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 2.210 km SW of Scotia, California · 14979 days ago · 12 km deep · 60 km away
  2. 1.648 km SW of Ferndale, California · 14977 days ago · 3 km deep · 15 km away
  3. 2.04 km NE of Hydesville, California · 14977 days ago · 25 km deep · 72 km away
  4. 1.831 km SSW of Ferndale, California · 14975 days ago · 4 km deep · 38 km away
  5. 2.979 km WSW of Ferndale, California · 14975 days ago · 4 km deep · 25 km away
  6. 2.541 km WSW of Ferndale, California · 14974 days ago · 16 km deep · 16 km away
  7. 1.84 km N of Hydesville, California · 14974 days ago · 19 km deep · 70 km away
  8. 1.619 km SSW of Ferndale, California · 14974 days ago · 26 km deep · 45 km away
  9. 1.818 km SSW of Ferndale, California · 14974 days ago · 26 km deep · 44 km away
  10. 1.835 km WSW of Ferndale, California · 14974 days ago · 25 km deep · 21 km away
  11. 2.14 km ESE of Fortuna, California · 14969 days ago · 22 km deep · 69 km away
  12. 1.722 km WSW of Weott, California · 14969 days ago · 9 km deep · 61 km away
  13. 2.221 km WSW of Ferndale, California · 14969 days ago · 22 km deep · 35 km away
  14. 1.925 km SW of Ferndale, California · 14968 days ago · 27 km deep · 34 km away
  15. 3.528 km SW of Ferndale, California · 14968 days ago · 16 km deep · 35 km away
  16. 3.066 km WSW of Ferndale, California · 14966 days ago · 3 km deep · 12 km away
  17. 2.720 km SW of Weott, California · 14962 days ago · 4 km deep · 68 km away
  18. 2.041 km SW of Ferndale, California · 14962 days ago · 23 km deep · 18 km away
  19. 3.337 km SW of Ferndale, California · 14960 days ago · 25 km deep · 25 km away
  20. 2.625 km SE of Blue Lake, California · 14954 days ago · 53 km deep · 100 km away
  21. 2.312 km SW of Scotia, California · 14953 days ago · 6 km deep · 57 km away
  22. 3.622 km WNW of Indianola, California · 14948 days ago · 21 km deep · 51 km away
  23. 3.122 km WSW of Weott, California · 14947 days ago · 13 km deep · 64 km away
  24. 3.073 km WSW of Ferndale, California · 14947 days ago · 12 km deep · 19 km away
  25. 2.98 km WNW of McKinleyville, California · 14944 days ago · 18 km deep · 88 km away
  26. 2.719 km WNW of Indianola, California · 14942 days ago · 20 km deep · 55 km away
  27. 2.360 km W of Indianola, California · 14936 days ago · 4 km deep · 43 km away
  28. 2.235 km SSW of Ferndale, California · 14936 days ago · 18 km deep · 38 km away
  29. 1.734 km NW of Shelter Cove, California · 14936 days ago · 4 km deep · 44 km away
  30. 4.175 km WNW of Ferndale, California · 14934 days ago · 2 km deep · 48 km away
  31. 2.52 km NNE of Humboldt Hill, California · 14934 days ago · 19 km deep · 72 km away
  32. 2.29 km WNW of Ferndale, California · 14933 days ago · 11 km deep · 50 km away
  33. 1.77 km NE of Phillipsville, California · 14931 days ago · 8 km deep · 98 km away
  34. 2.646 km WSW of Ferndale, California · 14931 days ago · 1 km deep · 13 km away
  35. 2.537 km SSW of Ferndale, California · 14930 days ago · 21 km deep · 33 km away
  36. 1.610 km W of Ferndale, California · 14929 days ago · 15 km deep · 46 km away
  37. 1.819 km WSW of Scotia, CA · 14925 days ago · 4 km deep · 49 km away
  38. 2.644 km SW of Ferndale, California · 14925 days ago · 19 km deep · 15 km away
  39. 3.235 km WSW of Ferndale, California · 14923 days ago · 38 km deep · 20 km away
  40. 2.533 km SW of Ferndale, California · 14923 days ago · 25 km deep · 25 km away
  41. 2.378 km WSW of Ferndale, California · 14923 days ago · 4 km deep · 25 km away

Before

  1. 1.71 km SW of Redway, California · 14983 days ago · 19 km deep · 93 km away
  2. 3.337 km SW of Ferndale, California · 14992 days ago · 2 km deep · 22 km away
  3. 2.654 km SW of Ferndale, California · 14993 days ago · 7 km deep · 17 km away
  4. 2.837 km SW of Ferndale, California · 14996 days ago · 21 km deep · 31 km away
  5. 2.938 km SW of Ferndale, California · 14997 days ago · 19 km deep · 27 km away
  6. 2.529 km SW of Ferndale, California · 14998 days ago · 16 km deep · 28 km away
  7. 2.024 km WSW of Ferndale, California · 15001 days ago · 26 km deep · 32 km away
  8. 2.4near the coast of Northern California · 15002 days ago · 13 km deep · 46 km away
  9. 1.925 km SSW of Scotia, California · 15004 days ago · 7 km deep · 56 km away
  10. 2.419 km SSE of Blue Lake, California · 15004 days ago · 24 km deep · 93 km away
  11. 2.599 km W of Indianola, California · 15006 days ago · 5 km deep · 69 km away
  12. 2.644 km WSW of Ferndale, California · 15007 days ago · 17 km deep · 14 km away
  13. 2.028 km SSW of Ferndale, California · 15008 days ago · 13 km deep · 39 km away
  14. 2.336 km SW of Ferndale, California · 15011 days ago · 20 km deep · 32 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc55549 (also filed as usp0002jz6). Read Mon, Sep 28, 2026, 8:32 PM UTC.