M4.0 earthquake 22km W of Petrolia, CA

A magnitude 4.0 earthquake struck 22km W of Petrolia, CA on Mon, Dec 20, 2021, 6:25 AM PST (14:25 UTC), 20 km (13 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M6.2 7km N 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
3.98	Mw, moment	Northern California Seismic System	Preferred · Final · 3 stations
4.0	Mwr, regional moment	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Reviewed · 3 stations

The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.

36 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was IV, light shaking.

The USGS PAGER system estimates deaths and economic losses from the shaking and the population and buildings exposed to it.

How the rock slipped, from the moment tensor, and the USGS estimate of landslides and liquefaction.

Reviewed by a seismologist.

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

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: at least 199 in the 60 days after this one and 23 in the 30 days before it.

The first 60 of at least 199.

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nc73666136 (also filed as us6000gdtq). Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 9:22 AM UTC.