November 8, 1980 Earthquake: North Coast, California, United States
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake struck North Coast, California, United States on November 8, 1980 at 10:27:34 UTC, 19 km below the surface.
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
- November 8, 1980
- Time
- 10:27:34 UTC
- Place
- North Coast, California, United States
- Magnitude
- 7.2 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 19 km (12 mi)
- Intensity
- 7 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 41.117° N, 124.253° W
- Country
- United States
The toll
- Injuries
- 6
- Damage
- $2 million
- Houses damaged
- 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.
Six people injured. Damage (VII) in the fields landing area. slight damage (VI) at Crescent City and in many communities along the coast of Humboldt County, felt from southern Oregon to the San Francisco bay area. (reference #1053)
A major earthquake, the largest in this area in 24 years, injured six people and caused property damage estimated at $2 million. Most of the damage occurred east of Fields Landing, where two sections of an overpass on U.S. Highway 101 collapsed onto the railroad tracks below. At Fields Landing, two houses were displaced from their foundations, one unreinforced chimney fell, and gas, water, and sewer lines were broken. This shock and most of its aftershocks occurred on a large, left-lateral, strike-slip fault that strikes about N. 50" E. from the Mendocino Fracture Zone. Felt over a large area, including parts of Oregon, western Nevada, and northern California-from Eugene, Oreg., south to the San Francisco Bay area and from the coast east to Fallon, Nev. Many aftershocks occurred. Magnitude 7.2 MS ABE. (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
- June 6, 1932, Eureka, California, United States
- October 1, 1865, Fort Humboldt, Eureka, California, United States
- March 20, 1855, Northern, California, United States
- December 26, 1994, Eureka, Samoa, Arcata, Blue Lake, 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
- January 22, 1923, Northern, California, United States
- August 17, 1991, Honeydew, Whitethorn, Petrolia, California, United States
- November 23, 1873, Northern, California, United States
- December 5, 2024, Offshore Cape Mendocino, California, United States
- January 31, 1922, Northern, California, United States
- February 9, 1941, Northern, California, United States
More
Significant earthquakes of 1980The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1980Recent 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 4901.