California earthquakes

M3.9 earthquake 23 km WNW of Fields Landing, California

A magnitude 3.9 earthquake struck 23 km WNW of Fields Landing, California on Thu, Oct 15, 1987, 1:16 PM PDT (20:16 UTC), 1 km (1 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.4 106 km W of Ferndale, California. This one was a foreshock.

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 3.9 (ml), minor
Local time: Thu, Oct 15, 1987, 1:16 PM PDT
UTC: 1987-10-15 20:16:24 UTC
Depth: 1.3 km (0.8 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 40.797° N, 124.472° W
Region: California
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 3.1 km horizontally, 39.4 km in depth
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 265°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used: 79

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 36 in the 60 days after this one and 21 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

Earthquakes today California earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc107236 (also filed as usp000399v). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:35 PM UTC.