The April 6, 1979 earthquake
M5.3near Trinidad, California
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake 2.8 miles deep, 43.1 miles off Humboldt County. The 260th strongest in California’s record since 1900, and the strongest within 50 miles since a magnitude 6.3 on November 26, 1976.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.3
- duration magnitude (md)
- Depth
- 2.8 mi
- 4.5 km below the surface
- Local time
- Friday, April 6, 1979
- 22:18 PST; 06:18 UTC on Apr 7, 1979
- In California’s record
- 260th
- strongest of 97,065 since 1900
USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, event nc1045303 (“71 km W of Trinidad, California”). The USGS event page carries the ShakeMap, felt reports and the official summary.
Counties and cities within 50 miles
Distance from the epicentre to each county boundary (zero when inside) and to each city centre.
Counties
- Humboldt CountyCA · 43.1 mi
Cities, largest first
- EurekaCA · 49.2 mi
Earthquakes around the epicentre
709 earthquakes of magnitude 3 or more within 50 miles of this epicentre since 1973.
Earlier earthquakes of magnitude 5 or more within 50 miles, strongest first
- January 22, 1923M7.1
- February 9, 1941M6.8
- July 14, 1918M6.5
- October 3, 1941M6.5
- June 6, 1932M6.5
- April 23, 1906M6.4
- November 26, 1976M6.3
- June 4, 1925M6.0
- June 5, 1960M6.0
- December 10, 1967M6.0
USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog. Local time is the time zone of the county nearest the epicentre. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them.