California earthquakes

M2.9 earthquake 88km W of Petrolia, CA

A magnitude 2.9 earthquake struck 88km W of Petrolia, CA on Wed, Aug 11, 2021, 8:00 AM PDT (15:00 UTC), 22 km (14 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.5 10km SW of Petrolia, 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
2.9 (Md, duration), micro
Magnitude from
Northern California Seismic System
Local time
UTC
2021-08-11 15:00:51 UTC
Depth
21.8 km (13.5 mi), shallow
Epicenter
40.443° N, 125.317° W
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.ScaleComputed byNotes
2.91Md, durationNorthern California Seismic SystemPreferred · Final · ±0.216 · 36 stations
2.6ML, local (Richter)USGS National Earthquake Information CenterReviewed · ±0.056 · 42 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 7.4 km horizontally, 15.5 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.22
Depth from
Operator assigned
Station coverage gap
286°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
26

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 55 in the 60 days after this one and 36 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc73608706 (also filed as us6000f45v). Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 6:18 AM UTC.