M3.0 earthquake 160 km W of Ferndale, California

A magnitude 3.0 earthquake struck 160 km W of Ferndale, California on Sat, Dec 4, 2021, 6:18 PM PST (02:18 UTC), 10 km (6 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.0 112km W of Petrolia, CA. This one was a foreshock.

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
3.0	ML, local (Richter)	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Preferred · Reviewed · ±0.043 · 72 stations
3.02	ML, local (Richter)	Northern California Seismic System	Final · ±0.123 · 13 stations

3 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was II, weak shaking.

Reviewed by a seismologist.

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

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 8 in the 60 days after this one and 5 in the 30 days before it.

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event us6000g96l (also filed as nc73659846). Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 2:04 AM UTC.