Reviewed by USGSCalifornia35y ago
M3.2 earthquake 4 km N of Ferndale, California
Wednesday, December 11, 1991, 02:48:24 UTC · 40.614°N, 124.266°W
A magnitude 3.2 earthquake struck 4 km N of Ferndale, California on Wednesday, December 11, 1991, 02:48:24 UTC, at a depth of 19.4 km (shallow).
- Magnitude
- 3.2
- Minor · ml
- Depth
- 19 km
- Shallow
- Felt reports
- 0
- Did You Feel It?
- Est. shaking
- —
- No ShakeMap
- PAGER alert
- None
- Not issued
- Tsunami
- No flag
- USGS feed
Outlined circle: this earthquakeDashed circle: 50 km aftershock search area
In context
How big was it, and why here?
Energy released
951 kg of TNT
That is about 1/15,825 of the Hiroshima bomb. A magnitude 5.0 releases about 501 times more energy.
Tectonic setting
36 km
from the nearest mapped plate boundary, between the North American and Pacific plates. Earthquakes cluster along boundaries like this one, where plates collide, pull apart or slide past each other.
Depth: shallow
19 km
Shallow earthquakes (under 70 km) produce the strongest surface shaking for their size, so they are the ones most likely to cause damage near the epicenter.
Did You Feel It?
Where it was felt
No “Did You Feel It?” reports have been published for this event yet. If you felt it, you can add your report on the USGS website.
I felt it — report to USGS ↗USGS PAGER estimate
Who was exposed to shaking
USGS publishes PAGER impact estimates for significant earthquakes, usually within an hour. No PAGER estimate is available for this event.
After the main event
Aftershocks within 50 km
USGS lists 7 M2.5+ earthquakes within 50 km in the following 30 days; the largest was M3.3 on January 1, 1992. Most nearby activity right after a large earthquake is aftershocks, which usually become less frequent over days and weeks.
- 2.72 km N of Indianola, California35y ago · 11 km N of this epicenter
- 2.62 km N of Indianola, California35y ago · 11 km N of this epicenter
- 3.32 km ENE of Blue Lake, California35y ago · 40 km NE of this epicenter
- 2.637 km SW of Ferndale, California35y ago · 41 km SW of this epicenter
- 2.618 km WSW of Weott, California35y ago · 43 km S of this epicenter
- 3.312 km S of Scotia, California35y ago · 29 km SE of this epicenter
- 2.620 km SW of Weott, California35y ago · 46 km S of this epicenter
Regional history
Past M5+ earthquakes within 300 km
USGS lists 158 M5.0+ earthquakes within 300 km before this one (catalog from 1900; older records are less complete). The strongest:
- 7.4123 km W of Big Lagoon, CaliforniaJanuary 31, 1922 · 130 km NW of this epicenter
- 7.2The 1980 Eureka, California EarthquakeNovember 8, 1980 · 56 km N of this epicenter
- 7.1The 1923 Humboldt County, California EarthquakeJanuary 22, 1923 · 67 km W of this epicenter
- 7.0136 km WSW of Brookings, OregonAugust 17, 1991 · 178 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.9103 km W of Pistol River, OregonJuly 13, 1991 · 209 km NW of this epicenter
- 6.8123 km W of Ferndale, CaliforniaNovember 25, 1954 · 124 km W of this epicenter
- 6.884 km W of Ferndale, CaliforniaFebruary 9, 1941 · 84 km W of this epicenter
- 6.8off the coast of Northern CaliforniaJuly 6, 1934 · 126 km NW of this epicenter
History · NOAA
Deadliest earthquakes in this area
NOAA’s significant-earthquake database lists 17 damaging, deadly or tsunami-generating earthquakes within 300 km of this epicenter since 1700, which together caused about 3 recorded deaths. The most severe:
- 1969M4.8
Santa Rosa
2 Oct 1969 · 274 km away · intensity VIII
1 death$8 million damage
- 1954M6.6
Humboldt County
21 Dec 1954 · 41 km away
1 death$2 million damage
- 1932M6.5
Eureka
6 Jun 1932 · 13 km away · intensity VIII
1 deathModerate damage ($1–5M)
- 1980M7.2
North Coast
8 Nov 1980 · 56 km away · intensity VII
$2 million damage
- 1991M6.2
Honeydew, Whitethorn, Petrolia
17 Aug 1991 · 43 km away · intensity VII
Moderate damage ($1–5M)
- 1975M5.6
Oroville
1 Aug 1975 · 267 km away · intensity VIII
$3 million damage
NOAA NCEI Global Significant Earthquake Database. Historical figures are estimates; older records are incomplete.