Historic Earthquakes of California

 

 

Listed below are the major historic earthquakes with a magnitude of 6 or greater that have hit California prior to the year 2000. The top ten earthquakes of California are highlighted in dark yellow, and their ranking given in blue. Some honorable mentions are highlighted in light yellow.

DATE MAGNITUDE &
(RANKING)
LOCATION
July 28, 1769 6.0 Los Angeles Basin
Nov 22, 1800 6.5 *** San Diego region ***
June 24, 1808 6.0 San Francisco region
Dec 8, 1812 7.0 (10) San Juan Capistrano (Wrightwood)
Dec 21, 1812 7.1 Santa Barbara Channel (Lompoc)
Sept 24, 1827 5.5 Los Angeles region
June 10, 1836 6.75 Hayward Valley
June 1838 7.0 San Francisco Peninsula
July 11, 1855 6.0 Los Angeles region
Feb 15, 1856 5.5 San Francisco Peninsula
Jan 9, 1857 8.25 (1) Great Fort Tejon Earthquake
Sept 3, 1857 6.25 West Nevada or East Sierra Nevada
Nov 26, 1858 6.25 San Jose region
Dec 16, 1858 6.0 San Bernardino region
May 27, 1862 6.0 *** San Diego region ***
Feb 26, 1864 6.0 South Santa Cruz Mountains
March 5, 1864 5.75 East of San Francisco Bay
Oct 8, 1865 6.5 South Santa Cruz Mountains
July 15, 1866 6.0 West San Joaquin Valley
Oct 21, 1868 7.0 Hayward fault
Feb 17, 1870 6.0 Los Gatos
March 2, 1871 6.0 Cape Mendocino
March 26, 1872 7.6 Owens Valley
March 26, 1872 7.6 (4) Owens Valley
April 3, 1872 6.25 Owens Valley
April 11, 1872 6.75 Owens Valley
May 3, 1872 5.75 Imperial Valley
Nov 23, 1873 6.75 Crescent City
Jan 24, 1875 6.0 Honey Lake
Nov 15, 1875 6.25 Imperial Vly to Colorado River delta
Feb 2, 1881 5.75 Parkfield
April 10, 1881 6.0 West San Joaquin Valley
March 6, 1882 5.75 Hollister
Sept 5, 1883 6.25 Santa Barbara Channel
Jan 28, 1884 5.75 Klamath Mountains
March 26, 1884 6.0 Santa Cruz Mountains
Jan 31, 1885 5.75 Susanville
April 12, 1885 6.25 South Diablo Range
April 29, 1888 6.0 Mohawk Valley
May 19, 1889 6.25 Antioch
June 20, 1889 6.0 Susanville
Sept 30, 1889 5.75 Bishop region
Feb 9, 1890 6.5 San Jacinto or Elsinore fault region
April 24, 1890 6.25 Pajaro Gap
July 26, 1890 6.25 Cape Mendocino
July 30, 1891 6.0 Colorado River delta region
April 19, 1892 6.5 Vacaville
April 21, 1892 6.25 Winters
May 28, 1892 6.5 San Jacinto or Elsinore fault region
Nov 13, 1892 5.75 Hollister
May 19, 1893 5.75 Pico Canyon
July 30, 1894 6.0 Lytle Creek region
Sept 30, 1894 6.0 Cape Mendocino region
Oct 23, 1894 5.75 *** East of San Diego ***
Aug 17, 1896 6.0 SE Sierra Nevada
June 20, 1897 6.25 Gilroy
March 31, 1898 6.5 Mare Island
April 15, 1898 6.5 Mendocino
April 16, 1899 7.0 West of Eureka
July 6, 1899 5.75 Morgan Hill
July 22, 1899 5.75 Lytle Creek region
Dec 25, 1899 6.6 San Jacinto and Hemet
March 3, 1901 6.4 Parkfield
Jan 24, 1903 6.6 Colorado River delta region
June 11, 1903 5.5 San Jose
Aug 3, 1903 5.5 San Jose
April 18, 1906 8.25 (2) Great San Francisco Earthquake
April 19, 1906 6.2 Imperial Valley
April 23, 1906 6.4 Arcata
Sept 20, 1907 5.3 San Bernardino region
Nov 4, 1908 6.0 Death Valley region
Oct 29, 1909 5.8 Cape Mendocino
March 11, 1910 5.8 Watsonville
March 19, 1910 6.0 West of Cape Mendocino
May 15, 1910 5.5 Glen Ivy Hot Springs
Aug 5, 1910 6.6 West of Crescent City
July 1, 1911 6.5 Calaveras fault
Feb 18, 1914 5.5 Truckee region
April 24, 1914 6.0 Truckee region
May 6, 1915 6.2 West of Cape Mendocino
June 23, 1915 6.0 Imperial Valley
June 23, 1915 5.9 Imperial Valley
Dec 31, 1915 6.5 West of Eureka
Oct 23, 1916 5.3 Tejon Pass region
Nov 10, 1916 6.1 South of Death Valley
April 21, 1918 6.6 San Jacinto
July 15, 1918 6.5 West of Eureka
Jan 26, 1922 6.0 West of Eureka
Jan 31, 1922 7.3 West of Eureka
Jan 22, 1923 7.2 Cape Mendocino
July 23, 1923 6.0 San Bernardino region
June 4, 1925 6.0 West of Eureka
June 29, 1925 6.3 Santa Barbara
Oct 22, 1926 6.1 Monterey Bay
Oct 22, 1926 6.1 Monterey Bay
Dec 10, 1926 6.0 West of Cape Mendocino
Sept 18, 1927 6.0 Bishop region
Nov 4, 1927 7.3 SW of Lompoc
June 6, 1932 6.4 Eureka
March 11, 1933 6.4 Long Beach
June 8, 1934 6.0 Parkfield
July 6, 1934 6.5 West of Eureka
Dec 31, 1934 7.0 Colorado River delta
Feb 24, 1935 5.3 Colorado River delta
June 3, 1936 5.9 West of Cape Mendocino
March 25, 1937 6.0 Buck Ridge
Feb 8, 1940 6.0 Chico
May 19, 1940 7.1 (7) Imperial Valley
Dec 7, 1940 5.5 Colorado River delta
Feb 9, 1941 6.6 West of Cape Mendocino
April 9, 1941 5.3 Gulf of California
May 13, 1941 6.0 West of Cape Mendocino
July 1, 1941 5.9 Carpenteria
Sept 14, 1941 6.0 Tom's Place
Sept 14, 1941 5.8 Tom's Place
Oct 3, 1941 6.4 West of Cape Mendocino
Oct 21, 1942 6.6 Fish Creek Mountains
May 19, 1945 6.2 West of Cape Mendocino
Sept 28, 1945 6.0 West of Crescent City
March 15, 1946 6.3 Walker Pass (Kern County)
April 10, 1947 6.5 Manix (San Bernadino County)
Dec 4, 1948 6.5 Desert Hot Springs (Riverside County)
March 25, 1949 6.2 West of Eureka
May 2, 1949 5.9 Pinto Mountain
Oct 8, 1951 6.0 West Of Cape Mendocino
Dec 26, 1951 5.9 San Clemente Island
July 21, 1952 7.7 (3) Bakersfield (Kern County) Earthquake
July 21, 1952 6.4 (aftershock) Bakersfield (Kern County)
July 23, 1952 6.1 (aftershock) Bakersfield (Kern County)
July 29, 1952 6.1 (aftershock) Bakersfield (Kern County)
Aug 22, 1952 5.8 (aftershock) Bakersfield (Kern County)
Nov 22, 1952 6.0 Bryson
Jan 12, 1954 5.9 West of Wheeler Ridge
March 19, 1954 6.2 Arroyo Salada
Nov 25, 1954 6.5 West of Cape Mendocino
Dec 21, 1954 6.6 East of Arcata
Oct 11, 1956 6.0 West of Cape Mendocino
Dec 13, 1956 6.0 West shore, Gulf of California
Aug 9, 1960 6.2 West of Cape Mendocino
June 28, 1966 6.0 Parkfield
Aug 7, 1966 6.3 Gulf of California
Sept 12, 1966 6.0 Truckee
April 9, 1968 6.5 Borrego Mountain
Feb 9, 1971 6.6 San Fernando
Feb 21, 1973 5.2 Point Mugu
Nov 26, 1976 6.3 West of Orick
Aug 6, 1979 5.7 Coyote Lake
Oct 15, 1979 6.4 Imperial Valley
Jan 24, 1980 5.8 Livermore
May 25, 1980 6.1 Mammoth Lakes
May 25, 1980 5.9 Mammoth Lakes
May 25, 1980 5.8 Mammoth Lakes
May 27, 1980 6.0 Mammoth Lakes
Nov 8, 1980 7.2 West of Eureka
April 26, 1981 6.0 Westmorland
Sept 4, 1981 5.9 North of Santa Barbara Island
Sept 30, 1981 5.8 Mammoth Lakes
May 2, 1983 6.5 Coalinga Earthquake
July 22, 1983 5.7 Coalinga (aftershock)
April 24, 1984 6.1 Morgan Hill
Sept 10, 1984 6.7 Mendocino Fracture Zone
Nov 23, 1984 5.7 Round Valley
Aug 4, 1985 5.9 North Kettleman Hills
July 8, 1986 6.0 North Palm Springs
July 20, 1986 5.6 Chalfant Valley
July 21, 1986 6.2 Chalfant Valley
July 31, 1986 5.2 Chalfant Valley
Oct 1, 1987 5.8 Whittier Narrows
Nov 24, 1987 6.2 Elmore Ranch fault
Nov 24, 1987 6.6 Superstition Hills
Oct 17, 1989 7.1 (8) Loma Prieta
Aug 16, 1991 6.3 West of Crescent City
Aug 17, 1991 7.1 West of Crescent City
April 23, 1992 6.1 Joshua Tree
April 25, 1992 7.2 (6) Cape Mendocino
April 26, 1992 6.5 (aftershock) Cape Mendocino
April 26, 1992 6.6 (aftershock) Cape Mendocino
June 28, 1992 7.3 (5) Landers
June 28, 1992 6.2 Big Bear
May 17, 1993 6.1 Big Pine
Jan 17, 1994 6.7 Northridge
Sept 1, 1994 6.9 Mendocino Fracture Zone
Feb 19, 1995 6.6 West of Eureka
Sept 20, 1995 5.5 Ridgecrest
July 24, 1996 5.7 West of Eureka
Oct 16, 1999 7.1 (9) Hector Mine
Sept. 3, 2000 5.0 North San Francisco Bay
Dec. 22, 2003 6.6 Central Coast
Oct. 30, 2007 5.6 South San Francisco Bay
July 29, 2008 5.5 Greater Los Angeles Area
Jan. 9, 2010 6.5 Cape Mendocino
April 4, 2010 7.2 Baja California
Aug. 24, 2014 6.0 South Napa County Earthquake

The above table from 1769 to 2004 is based on "California Earthquake History 1769-present", which is a list put together by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Updates on recent earthquakes from 2005 to the present are based on entries in Wikipedia. The magnitudes that the USGS gives for earthquakes after 1898 are similar to the famous Richter scale, in which the magnitude, more or less, represents the energy of the earthquake. This value is calculated from the distance that the needle on a seismograph moves during an earthquake. Thus, it depends on the amplitude of the surface wave associated with the quake. Because seismographs were not available prior to 1898, the magnitudes of earthquakes prior to then must be estimated from the intensity of damage associated with the quake as reported by witnesses to the event. The links below give more information.

Richter Scale     Mercalli Intensity

 

Listed below are the top ten earthquakes to have hit California in historic times. Again the sizes of earlier quakes are estimates, and they will differ depending on which authority is being consulted. For example, some scientists believe that the 1857 Tejon earthquake was the largest to hit California in historic times, and other experts rank the San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 as the larger of the two.

RANK DATE MAGNITUDE LOCATION
1 Jan 9, 1857 8.25 Fort Tejon Earthquake
2 April 18, 1906 8.25 San Francisco Earthquake
3 July 21, 1952 7.7 Bakersfield Earthquake
4 March 26, 1872 7.6 Owens Valley
5 June 28, 1992 7.3 Landers
6 April 25, 1992 7.2 Cape Mendocino
7 May 19, 1940 7.1 Imperial Valley
8 Oct 17, 1989 7.1 Loma Prieta
9 Oct 16, 1999 7.1 Hector Mine
10 Dec 8, 1812 7.0 San Juan Capistrano