M3.0 earthquake 25 km SSW of Ferndale, California

Magnitude

3.0 (md), micro

Local time

Sat, Dec 20, 1986, 11:26 AM PST

UTC

1986-12-20 19:26:49 UTC

Depth

18.7 km (11.6 mi), shallow

Epicenter

40.371° N, 124.407° W

Region

California

Tsunami flag

No

Status

Reviewed by a seismologist

Location uncertainty

About 0.8 km horizontally, 0.3 km in depth

Magnitude uncertainty

±0.09

Depth from

From location

Station coverage gap

234°, poorly surrounded by stations

Stations used

17

• Ferndale, CaliforniaPopulation 1,369. Forecast26 kmSSW
• Fortuna, CaliforniaPopulation 12,000. Forecast33 kmSW
• Chico, CaliforniaPopulation 121,345. Forecast230 kmWNW
• Los Angeles, CaliforniaPopulation 3,820,914. Forecast889 kmNW

After

1. 1.726 km SW of Scotia, CaliforniaSat, Dec 20, 11:33 AM PST · 14521 days ago · 3 km deep · 5 km away
2. 3.725 km SSW of Ferndale, CaliforniaSat, Dec 20, 11:45 AM PST · 14521 days ago · 19 km deep · 0 km away
3. 2.814 km WSW of Redcrest, CaliforniaSat, Dec 20, 4:05 PM PST · 14520 days ago · 30 km deep · 27 km away
4. 2.23 km ENE of Indianola, CaliforniaSat, Dec 20, 5:20 PM PST · 14520 days ago · 6 km deep · 40 km away
5. 1.91 km NE of Indianola, CaliforniaSun, Dec 21, 12:26 PM PST · 14520 days ago · 7 km deep · 39 km away
6. 2.543 km SW of Ferndale, CaliforniaSun, Dec 21, 8:58 PM PST · 14519 days ago · 4 km deep · 20 km away
7. 2.319 km NE of Hydesville, CaliforniaMon, Dec 22, 10:16 AM PST · 14519 days ago · 21 km deep · 52 km away
8. 2.122 km W of Leggett, CaliforniaTue, Dec 23, 2:44 PM PST · 14517 days ago · 1 km deep · 71 km away
9. 3.436 km SSW of Ferndale, CaliforniaWed, Dec 24, 6:25 PM PST · 14516 days ago · 21 km deep · 11 km away
10. 2.825 km WNW of Ferndale, CaliforniaSun, Dec 28, 3:54 AM PST · 14513 days ago · 25 km deep · 35 km away
11. 2.436 km SSW of Ferndale, CaliforniaSun, Dec 28, 1:35 PM PST · 14513 days ago · 20 km deep · 11 km away
12. 3.220 km SW of Scotia, CaliforniaMon, Dec 29, 10:29 PM PST · 14511 days ago · 4 km deep · 10 km away
13. 3.346 km SW of Ferndale, CaliforniaWed, Dec 31, 6:26 AM PST · 14510 days ago · 3 km deep · 24 km away
14. 2.52 km WSW of Leggett, CaliforniaWed, Jan 14, 1:32 AM PST · 14496 days ago · 4 km deep · 81 km away
15. 2.6near the coast of Northern CaliforniaThu, Jan 15, 6:26 PM PST · 14494 days ago · 23 km deep · 14 km away
16. 3.6near the coast of Northern CaliforniaFri, Jan 16, 12:19 PM PST · 14494 days ago · 3 km deep · 15 km away
17. 2.48 km S of Scotia, CaliforniaFri, Jan 16, 1:56 PM PST · 14494 days ago · 4 km deep · 26 km away
18. 2.614 km SE of Blue Lake, CaliforniaSat, Jan 17, 6:17 PM PST · 14492 days ago · 27 km deep · 67 km away
19. 2.614 km WSW of Scotia, CaliforniaSat, Jan 17, 11:24 PM PST · 14492 days ago · 27 km deep · 15 km away
20. 2.434 km SSW of Ferndale, CaliforniaMon, Jan 19, 5:54 AM PST · 14491 days ago · 20 km deep · 8 km away
21. 1.82 km SE of Myers Flat, CaliforniaMon, Jan 19, 6:08 PM PST · 14490 days ago · 4 km deep · 49 km away
22. 2.666 km WSW of Ferndale, CaliforniaMon, Jan 19, 7:41 PM PST · 14490 days ago · 0 km deep · 50 km away
23. 1.937 km SSW of Ferndale, CaliforniaTue, Jan 20, 3:59 AM PST · 14490 days ago · 22 km deep · 12 km away
24. 1.521 km NNW of Covelo, CaliforniaTue, Jan 20, 6:29 AM PST · 14490 days ago · 0 km deep · 100 km away
25. 2.318 km ESE of Indianola, CaliforniaThu, Jan 22, 11:11 PM PST · 14487 days ago · 24 km deep · 58 km away
26. 2.217 km WSW of Ferndale, CaliforniaSat, Jan 24, 8:50 PM PST · 14485 days ago · 21 km deep · 14 km away
27. 1.99 km ESE of Leggett, CaliforniaWed, Jan 28, 3:18 AM PST · 14482 days ago · 6 km deep · 90 km away
28. 2.513 km WNW of Mad River, CaliforniaFri, Jan 30, 6:34 PM PST · 14479 days ago · -1 km deep · 65 km away
29. 1.724 km SW of Scotia, CaliforniaSun, Feb 1, 3:57 AM PST · 14478 days ago · 4 km deep · 6 km away
30. 3.89 km W of Ferndale, CaliforniaSun, Feb 1, 5:57 PM PST · 14477 days ago · 28 km deep · 25 km away
31. 2.445 km W of Ferndale, CaliforniaSat, Feb 7, 9:09 PM PST · 14471 days ago · 24 km deep · 43 km away
32. 2.540 km W of Indianola, CaliforniaSun, Feb 8, 6:49 AM PST · 14471 days ago · 19 km deep · 48 km away
33. 1.616 km WSW of Leggett, CaliforniaSun, Feb 8, 2:05 PM PST · 14471 days ago · -1 km deep · 76 km away
34. 1.911 km ENE of Hydesville, CaliforniaSun, Feb 8, 6:41 PM PST · 14470 days ago · 22 km deep · 44 km away
35. 1.8near the coast of Northern CaliforniaSun, Feb 8, 11:56 PM PST · 14470 days ago · 21 km deep · 9 km away
36. 2.641 km SW of Ferndale, CaliforniaWed, Feb 11, 5:22 AM PST · 14468 days ago · 28 km deep · 18 km away
37. 2.729 km WSW of Ferndale, CaliforniaWed, Feb 11, 7:38 AM PST · 14468 days ago · 23 km deep · 19 km away
38. 2.410 km W of Scotia, CaliforniaThu, Feb 12, 10:05 AM PST · 14467 days ago · 4 km deep · 18 km away

Before

1. 2.925 km SSW of Ferndale, CaliforniaThu, Dec 18, 9:00 PM PST · 14522 days ago · 17 km deep · 1 km away
2. 2.019 km SSW of Ferndale, CaliforniaWed, Dec 17, 2:54 AM PST · 14524 days ago · 6 km deep · 7 km away
3. 1.725 km SW of Scotia, CaliforniaTue, Dec 16, 2:45 PM PST · 14524 days ago · 4 km deep · 7 km away
4. 3.126 km SSW of Ferndale, CaliforniaTue, Dec 16, 9:48 AM PST · 14525 days ago · 16 km deep · 4 km away
5. 3.028 km SSW of Ferndale, CaliforniaSun, Dec 14, 4:18 PM PST · 14526 days ago · 18 km deep · 3 km away
6. 1.81 km WNW of Ferndale, CaliforniaSun, Dec 14, 8:53 AM PST · 14527 days ago · 4 km deep · 25 km away
7. 2.026 km SW of Scotia, CaliforniaSat, Dec 13, 8:36 PM PST · 14527 days ago · 5 km deep · 11 km away
8. 2.141 km SW of Ferndale, CaliforniaSat, Dec 13, 4:24 PM PST · 14527 days ago · 13 km deep · 16 km away
9. 1.711 km NW of Ferndale, CaliforniaThu, Dec 11, 12:25 PM PST · 14530 days ago · 0 km deep · 31 km away
10. 2.312 km SW of Scotia, CaliforniaThu, Dec 11, 11:36 AM PST · 14530 days ago · 13 km deep · 19 km away
11. 2.122 km W of Leggett, CaliforniaMon, Dec 8, 3:39 PM PST · 14532 days ago · 1 km deep · 71 km away
12. 2.331 km SW of Ferndale, CaliforniaSun, Dec 7, 2:31 AM PST · 14534 days ago · 17 km deep · 8 km away
13. 1.97 km NNE of Mad River, CaliforniaSat, Dec 6, 7:46 PM PST · 14534 days ago · 8 km deep · 81 km away
14. 2.029 km SW of Ferndale, CaliforniaSat, Dec 6, 6:48 PM PST · 14534 days ago · 17 km deep · 5 km away
15. 2.129 km SW of Ferndale, CaliforniaThu, Dec 4, 12:48 AM PST · 14537 days ago · 17 km deep · 6 km away
16. 3.028 km SW of Ferndale, CaliforniaWed, Dec 3, 8:31 PM PST · 14537 days ago · 17 km deep · 5 km away
17. 2.733 km SSW of Ferndale, CaliforniaWed, Dec 3, 1:47 AM PST · 14538 days ago · 24 km deep · 9 km away
18. 2.531 km SSW of Ferndale, CaliforniaTue, Dec 2, 9:45 AM PST · 14539 days ago · 5 km deep · 6 km away
19. 2.926 km SSW of Ferndale, CaliforniaSun, Nov 30, 5:49 PM PST · 14540 days ago · 19 km deep · 1 km away
20. 2.5near the coast of Northern CaliforniaSun, Nov 30, 1:52 AM PST · 14541 days ago · 17 km deep · 2 km away

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc90671 (also filed as usp0003115). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:45 AM UTC.