California earthquakes

M4.3 earthquake 97 km W of Ferndale, California

A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck 97 km W of Ferndale, California on Sun, Aug 3, 1986, 9:15 AM PDT (16:15 UTC), 5 km (3 mi) below the surface.

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
4.3 (ML, local (Richter)), light
Magnitude from
Northern California Seismic System
Local time
UTC
1986-08-03 16:15:30 UTC
Depth
4.9 km (3.0 mi), shallow
Epicenter
40.457° N, 125.404° W
Tsunami flag
No
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

Magnitude estimates

Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.

Mag.ScaleComputed byNotes
4.3ML, local (Richter)Northern California Seismic SystemPreferred · Final · 4 stations
4.0mb, body-waveUSGS National Earthquake Information CenterReviewed · 3 stations

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 2.6 km horizontally, 11.5 km in depth
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
257°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
62

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 15 in the 60 days after this one and 10 in the 30 days before it.

After

  1. 2.527 km SSW of Ferndale, California · 14662 days ago · 4 km deep · 87 km away
  2. 2.524 km WSW of Ferndale, California · 14649 days ago · 24 km deep · 75 km away
  3. 3.038 km SW of Ferndale, California · 14648 days ago · 19 km deep · 74 km away
  4. 3.339 km W of Ferndale, California · 14643 days ago · 21 km deep · 59 km away
  5. 2.838 km SW of Ferndale, California · 14641 days ago · 19 km deep · 73 km away
  6. 2.290 km WSW of Ferndale, California · 14638 days ago · 5 km deep · 9 km away
  7. 3.226 km SW of Ferndale, California · 14634 days ago · 26 km deep · 79 km away
  8. 3.0193 km W of Ferndale, California · 14625 days ago · 4 km deep · 98 km away
  9. 3.323 km SW of Scotia, California · 14624 days ago · 15 km deep · 92 km away
  10. 3.5139 km W of Ferndale, California · 14621 days ago · 21 km deep · 42 km away
  11. 3.0off the coast of Northern California · 14620 days ago · 5 km deep · 23 km away
  12. 2.610 km WSW of Rio Dell, California · 14616 days ago · 26 km deep · 100 km away
  13. 2.510 km W of Rio Dell, California · 14616 days ago · 25 km deep · 100 km away
  14. 3.7147 km WSW of Ferndale, California · 14615 days ago · 5 km deep · 50 km away
  15. 2.640 km SW of Ferndale, California · 14612 days ago · 17 km deep · 70 km away

Before

  1. 3.470 km W of Shelter Cove, California · 14672 days ago · 3 km deep · 69 km away
  2. 3.436 km SSW of Ferndale, California · 14672 days ago · 21 km deep · 79 km away
  3. 3.3130 km W of Ferndale, California · 14676 days ago · 5 km deep · 33 km away
  4. 2.793 km WSW of Ferndale, California · 14676 days ago · 0 km deep · 20 km away
  5. 1.515 km SW of Ferndale, California · 14679 days ago · 4 km deep · 86 km away
  6. 3.237 km SW of Ferndale, California · 14679 days ago · 20 km deep · 77 km away
  7. 2.3near the coast of Northern California · 14686 days ago · 25 km deep · 72 km away
  8. 3.737 km WSW of Ferndale, California · 14693 days ago · 24 km deep · 62 km away
  9. 3.240 km WNW of Ferndale, California · 14694 days ago · 18 km deep · 60 km away
  10. 1.513 km WNW of Indianola, California · 14694 days ago · 4 km deep · 90 km away

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc84652 (also filed as usp0002wup). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 12:27 AM UTC.