August 17, 1991 Earthquake: Honeydew, Whitethorn, Petrolia, California, United States
A magnitude 6.2 earthquake struck Honeydew, Whitethorn, Petrolia, California, United States on August 17, 1991 at 19:29:40 UTC, 12 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
- August 17, 1991
- Time
- 19:29:40 UTC
- Place
- Honeydew, Whitethorn, Petrolia, California, United States
- Magnitude
- 6.2 (Ms)
- Focal depth
- 12 km (7 mi)
- Intensity
- 7 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 40.235° N, 124.348° W
- Country
- United States
The toll
- Damage
- Moderate (about $1 to $5 million)
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.
Damage (VII) at Honeydew and Whitehorn. Slight damage (VI) at Garberville, Myers, Flat and Piercy. Also slight damage and landslides in the Petrolia area. Felt (V) at Alderpoint, Carlotta, Covelo, Fields Landing, Finely, Fortuna, Fort Bragg, Leggett, Loleta, Manchester, Phillipsville, Redcrest, Zenia. Felt from Grants Pass, Oregon south as far as Sacramento and San Francisco. (reference #1053)
Other significant earthquakes nearby
Within 200 km, the deadliest first.
- December 20, 2022, Humboldt County, California, United States
- June 6, 1932, Eureka, California, United States
- December 21, 1954, Humboldt County, California, United States
- April 25, 1992, Ferndale, Petrolia, Humboldt County, California, United States
- March 2, 1871, Humboldt County, California, United States
- January 10, 2010, Off Coast Northern, California, United States
- December 26, 1994, Eureka, Samoa, Arcata, Blue Lake, California, United States
- March 20, 1855, Northern, California, United States
- December 5, 2024, Offshore Cape Mendocino, California, United States
- January 22, 1923, Northern, California, United States
- February 9, 1941, Northern, California, United States
- October 1, 1865, Fort Humboldt, Eureka, California, United States
- November 8, 1980, North Coast, California, United States
- September 1, 1994, Honeydew, North, California, United States
- January 31, 1922, Northern, California, United States
More
Significant earthquakes of 1991The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1991Recent 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 5304.