M4.5 earthquake 95 km W of Ferndale, California

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 95 km W of Ferndale, California on Fri, Dec 7, 1990, 1:51 PM PST (21:51 UTC), 4 km (3 mi) below the surface.

Map

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

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.	Scale	Computed by	Notes
4.5	ML, local (Richter)	Northern California Seismic System	Preferred · Final · 0 stations
4.0	mb, body-wave	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Reviewed · 4 stations

The USGS’s account of the effects of this earthquake.

Felt (V) at Eureka and (III) Rio Dell. Also felt at Petrolia and Scotia.

From the USGS event page for nc202007. U.S. Geological Survey text and figures are in the public domain.

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

Reviewed by a seismologist.

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

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 50 in the 60 days after this one and 29 in the 30 days before it.

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc202007 (also filed as usp0004huq). Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 11:01 AM UTC.