June 6, 1932 Earthquake: Eureka, California, United States
A magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck Eureka, California, United States on June 6, 1932 at 08:44:26 UTC, 15 km below the surface. It killed 1 person.
Map
Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Date
- June 6, 1932
- Time
- 08:44:26 UTC
- Place
- Eureka, California, United States
- Magnitude
- 6.5 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 15 km (9 mi)
- Intensity
- 8 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 40.729° N, 124.287° W
- Country
- United States
The toll
- Deaths
- 1
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
- Houses destroyed
- Few (about 1 to 50)
Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.
What the record says
NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.
1932 June 6. Off the coast of Humboldt County, west of Eureka, Calif. This earthquake, the strongest in the region since Jan. 22, 1923, killed one person at Eureka and injured several others, Property damage was severe at Eureka, where hundreds of chimneys , were damaged and many fell, plate-glass windows were shattered, and water mains were broken. Several small houses were shaken down in Arcata, and most chimneys were damaged. Hardly a chimney remained standing at Fields Landing, and a 15-cm crack formed in the highway. Many chimneys also toppled at Loleta, where a brick wall was shaken into the street. (reference #542)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- December 20, 2022, Humboldt County, California, United States
- December 21, 1954, Humboldt County, California, United States
- December 26, 1994, Eureka, Samoa, Arcata, Blue Lake, California, United States
- March 20, 1855, Northern, California, United States
- October 1, 1865, Fort Humboldt, Eureka, California, United States
- January 10, 2010, Off Coast Northern, California, United States
- March 2, 1871, Humboldt County, California, United States
- April 25, 1992, Ferndale, Petrolia, Humboldt County, California, United States
- November 8, 1980, North Coast, California, United States
- August 17, 1991, Honeydew, Whitethorn, Petrolia, California, United States
- January 22, 1923, Northern, California, United States
- December 5, 2024, Offshore Cape Mendocino, California, United States
- February 9, 1941, Northern, California, United States
- January 31, 1922, Northern, California, United States
- September 1, 1994, Honeydew, North, California, United States
More
Significant earthquakes of 1932The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1932Recent earthquakes near hereThis day in weather history
Sources
Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 10679.