California earthquakes

M3.2 earthquake 64km WNW of Petrolia, CA

A magnitude 3.2 earthquake struck 64km WNW of Petrolia, CA on Tue, Oct 5, 2021, 8:54 AM PDT (15:54 UTC), 11 km (7 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M4.4 5km NNE 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
3.2 (ML, local (Richter)), minor
Magnitude from
Northern California Seismic System
Local time
UTC
2021-10-05 15:54:38 UTC
Depth
11.2 km (7.0 mi), shallow
Epicenter
40.454° N, 125.028° W
Felt reports
1
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
3.24ML, local (Richter)Northern California Seismic SystemPreferred · Final · ±0.173 · 22 stations
3.0ML, local (Richter)USGS National Earthquake Information CenterReviewed · ±0.045 · 64 stations

Did you feel it?

1 person reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was III, weak shaking.

Did You Feel It? map: shaking reported by the public
Shaking reported by the public, by area. Map: USGS Did You Feel It?

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty
About 0.8 km horizontally, 1.3 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty
±0.17
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
249°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
52

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 45 in the 60 days after this one and 28 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc73633821 (also filed as us6000fry7). Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 11:56 AM UTC.