December 26, 1994 Earthquake: Eureka, Samoa, Arcata, Blue Lake, California, United States
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck Eureka, Samoa, Arcata, Blue Lake, California, United States on December 26, 1994 at 14:10:29 UTC, 23 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
- December 26, 1994
- Time
- 14:10:29 UTC
- Place
- Eureka, Samoa, Arcata, Blue Lake, California, United States
- Magnitude
- 5.5 (Mw)
- Focal depth
- 23 km (14 mi)
- Intensity
- 7 on the Modified Mercalli scale
- Tsunami
- None recorded
- Epicenter
- 40.741° N, 124.310° W
- Country
- United States
The toll
- Damage
- $2.1 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.
Reference #1250 lists $2.1 million damage.
Reference #1288 lists $5 million damage.
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
- 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 1994The 1900sEvery quake the USGS located in 1994Recent 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 5395.