California earthquakes

M1.6 earthquake 5km N of Plumas Eureka, CA

A magnitude 1.6 earthquake struck 5km N of Plumas Eureka, CA on Sun, Dec 17, 2017, 9:21 PM PST (05:21 UTC), 8 km (5 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.4 3km SE of Chester, CA. 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: 1.6 (Md, duration), micro
Magnitude from: Northern California Seismic System
Local time: Sun, Dec 17, 2017, 9:21 PM PST
UTC: 2017-12-18 05:21:50 UTC
Depth: 8.0 km (5.0 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 39.837° N, 120.655° W
Region: California
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.	Scale	Computed by	Notes
1.65	Md, duration	Northern California Seismic System	Preferred · Final · ±0.296 · 18 stations
1.3	ML, local (Richter)	Nevada Seismological Laboratory	Reviewed · ±0.28 · 8 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 0.4 km horizontally, 1.0 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.30
Depth from: From location
Station coverage gap: 79°
Stations used: 15

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 49 in the 60 days after this one and 22 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 nc72941371 (also filed as nn00615707, nn00615703). Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 7:49 AM UTC.