California earthquakes

M1.7 earthquake 21 km NW of Mad River, California

A magnitude 1.7 earthquake struck 21 km NW of Mad River, California on Fri, Dec 13, 1985, 5:46 AM PST (13:46 UTC), 24 km (15 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.6 52 km SW of Ferndale, 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
1.7 (Md, duration), micro
Magnitude from
Northern California Seismic System
Local time
UTC
1985-12-13 13:46:32 UTC
Depth
23.8 km (14.8 mi), shallow
Epicenter
40.574° N, 123.707° 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 0.6 km horizontally, 0.8 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.01
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
108°
Stations used
9

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 61 in the 60 days after this one and 35 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 1.79 km SW of Ferndale, California · 14903 days ago · 9 km deep · 55 km away
  2. 3.023 km SW of Scotia, California · 14903 days ago · 16 km deep · 58 km away
  3. 1.723 km SW of Scotia, California · 14903 days ago · 15 km deep · 57 km away
  4. 3.337 km WSW of Ferndale, California · 14902 days ago · 22 km deep · 82 km away
  5. 2.110 km W of Indianola, California · 14902 days ago · 5 km deep · 56 km away
  6. 1.63 km NE of Fortuna, California · 14902 days ago · 19 km deep · 36 km away
  7. 2.09 km W of Bayview, California · 14902 days ago · 20 km deep · 55 km away
  8. 1.85 km WNW of Ferndale, California · 14901 days ago · 4 km deep · 53 km away
  9. 1.84 km WSW of Ferndale, California · 14901 days ago · 4 km deep · 51 km away
  10. 1.64 km WSW of Ferndale, California · 14901 days ago · 4 km deep · 51 km away
  11. 1.97 km W of Loleta, California · 14901 days ago · 4 km deep · 52 km away
  12. 1.631 km SSW of Ferndale, California · 14900 days ago · 5 km deep · 66 km away
  13. 2.626 km SW of Ferndale, California · 14899 days ago · 16 km deep · 70 km away
  14. 2.422 km SW of Ferndale, California · 14899 days ago · 14 km deep · 64 km away
  15. 2.037 km W of Ferndale, California · 14898 days ago · 4 km deep · 85 km away
  16. 3.652 km SW of Ferndale, California · 14897 days ago · 11 km deep · 93 km away
  17. 2.212 km NNE of Willow Creek, California · 14897 days ago · 30 km deep · 54 km away
  18. 2.627 km SSW of Ferndale, California · 14896 days ago · 17 km deep · 65 km away
  19. 2.14 km ESE of Indianola, California · 14896 days ago · 17 km deep · 41 km away
  20. 1.739 km SSW of Ferndale, California · 14894 days ago · 4 km deep · 74 km away
  21. 2.17 km W of Rio Dell, California · 14894 days ago · 21 km deep · 42 km away
  22. 2.121 km SE of Blue Lake, California · 14893 days ago · 27 km deep · 21 km away
  23. 2.033 km WSW of Ferndale, California · 14892 days ago · 15 km deep · 77 km away
  24. 1.610 km SSW of Ferndale, California · 14892 days ago · 7 km deep · 52 km away
  25. 1.816 km WNW of Mad River, California · 14892 days ago · 24 km deep · 9 km away
  26. 2.610 km W of Indianola, California · 14886 days ago · 0 km deep · 57 km away
  27. 3.19 km NW of Ferndale, California · 14884 days ago · 8 km deep · 55 km away
  28. 2.614 km WSW of Scotia, California · 14883 days ago · 25 km deep · 49 km away
  29. 2.629 km SW of Scotia, California · 14882 days ago · 8 km deep · 63 km away
  30. 2.228 km SW of Scotia, California · 14882 days ago · 6 km deep · 62 km away
  31. 1.629 km SW of Scotia, California · 14882 days ago · 9 km deep · 62 km away
  32. 2.015 km SE of Orick, California · 14879 days ago · -1 km deep · 73 km away
  33. 1.815 km NE of Miranda, California · 14879 days ago · 19 km deep · 25 km away
  34. 2.918 km WNW of Junction City, California · 14878 days ago · 28 km deep · 46 km away
  35. 2.831 km SW of Scotia, California · 14878 days ago · 16 km deep · 65 km away
  36. 2.15 km SSE of Ferndale, California · 14877 days ago · 7 km deep · 46 km away
  37. 2.645 km WNW of Samoa, California · 14877 days ago · 4 km deep · 93 km away
  38. 3.212 km WSW of Redcrest, California · 14877 days ago · 1 km deep · 40 km away
  39. 1.79 km WSW of Ferndale, California · 14876 days ago · 17 km deep · 56 km away
  40. 2.07 km W of Rio Dell, California · 14875 days ago · 20 km deep · 42 km away
  41. 2.114 km WSW of Weott, California · 14874 days ago · 8 km deep · 47 km away
  42. 1.910 km NE of Redcrest, California · 14873 days ago · 7 km deep · 18 km away
  43. 2.72 km NW of Laytonville, California · 14873 days ago · 7 km deep · 98 km away
  44. 1.82 km WNW of Laytonville, California · 14873 days ago · 6 km deep · 98 km away
  45. 2.74 km WNW of Redway, California · 14871 days ago · 21 km deep · 51 km away
  46. 3.035 km WSW of Ferndale, California · 14871 days ago · 23 km deep · 80 km away
  47. 2.217 km WSW of Leggett, California · 14871 days ago · 2 km deep · 86 km away
  48. 2.013 km NE of Willow Creek, California · 14869 days ago · -1 km deep · 52 km away
  49. 1.916 km NE of Miranda, California · 14868 days ago · 4 km deep · 26 km away
  50. 2.733 km SSW of Ferndale, California · 14866 days ago · 11 km deep · 69 km away
  51. 2.19 km W of Laytonville, California · 14864 days ago · 1 km deep · 99 km away
  52. 2.02 km NW of Laytonville, California · 14864 days ago · 7 km deep · 98 km away
  53. 1.91 km SSW of Redway, California · 14861 days ago · 18 km deep · 52 km away
  54. 2.749 km WNW of Shelter Cove, California · 14857 days ago · 4 km deep · 87 km away
  55. 1.910 km E of Hydesville, California · 14855 days ago · 4 km deep · 23 km away
  56. 1.98 km NNW of Redcrest, California · 14855 days ago · 25 km deep · 25 km away
  57. 3.24 km ESE of Indianola, California · 14854 days ago · 20 km deep · 37 km away
  58. 3.537 km W of Ferndale, California · 14851 days ago · 17 km deep · 84 km away
  59. 1.87 km SSW of Scotia, California · 14851 days ago · 5 km deep · 39 km away
  60. 1.71 km S of Loleta, California · 14849 days ago · 4 km deep · 44 km away

The first 60 of 61.

Before

  1. 2.332 km SW of Ferndale, California · 14907 days ago · 15 km deep · 75 km away
  2. 2.232 km SW of Ferndale, California · 14907 days ago · 15 km deep · 76 km away
  3. 2.527km E of Willow Creek, CA · 14908 days ago · 29 km deep · 50 km away
  4. 2.16 km SSW of Ferndale, California · 14909 days ago · 9 km deep · 50 km away
  5. 3.07 km ENE of Orick, California · 14910 days ago · 8 km deep · 86 km away
  6. 2.46 km W of Loleta, California · 14910 days ago · -1 km deep · 51 km away
  7. 2.433 km NE of Trinity Village, California · 14912 days ago · 30 km deep · 69 km away
  8. 2.22 km E of Benbow, California · 14913 days ago · 17 km deep · 57 km away
  9. 1.821 km NE of Willow Creek, California · 14913 days ago · 4 km deep · 58 km away
  10. 4.245 km W of Ferndale, California · 14913 days ago · 19 km deep · 92 km away
  11. 1.648 km SW of Ferndale, California · 14915 days ago · 4 km deep · 91 km away
  12. 2.29 km N of Mad River, California · 14915 days ago · 4 km deep · 19 km away
  13. 1.710 km WNW of Trinity Center, California · 14916 days ago · 4 km deep · 89 km away
  14. 1.930 km WNW of Paskenta, California · 14918 days ago · 1 km deep · 96 km away
  15. 1.73 km SSW of Loleta, California · 14920 days ago · 4 km deep · 46 km away
  16. 3.236 km WSW of Ferndale, California · 14921 days ago · 30 km deep · 82 km away
  17. 2.523 km NW of Willow Creek, California · 14921 days ago · -1 km deep · 61 km away
  18. 2.334 km NW of Paskenta, California · 14921 days ago · 8 km deep · 90 km away
  19. 2.118 km ENE of Weott, California · 14924 days ago · 19 km deep · 20 km away
  20. 1.817 km NE of Myers Flat, California · 14924 days ago · 22 km deep · 21 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc62698. Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 4:14 PM UTC.