Below is a table of California's significant earthquakes. These are earthquakes of magnitude greater than or equal to 6.5, or that caused loss of life or more than $200,000 in damage. We have not adjusted damage estimates for inflation. This table includes significant earthquakes having epicenters outside of California but within approximately 100 miles of California's border.
The preceding table was compiled from the following sources:
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Center for Engineering Strong Motion Data
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National Earthquake Information Center
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Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology
- Toppozada, T. R. and D. Branum (2002) California M >= 5.5 earthquakes, history and areas damaged, in Lee, W. H., Kanamori, H. and Jennings, P., International Handbook of Earthquake and Engineering Seismology, International Association of Seismology and Physics of the Earth's Interior
- C. Stover and J. Coffman, 1993, Seismicity of the United States (USGS Professional Paper 1527)
- K.R. Attfield et al., “Injuries and Traumatic Psychological Exposures Associated with the South Napa Earthquake—California, 2014,” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 64, no. 35 (September 11, 2015): 975–78
- Jennifer Huffman, “Top Stories of 2015, No. 1: Earthquake Aftermath,”
Napa Valley Register, December 30, 2015
- U.S. Geological Survey, "Update: Magnitude 7.1 Earthquake in Southern California," July 6, 2019
- J.D. Simkins, “China Lake repair costs may top $2 billion,“
Navy Times, August 12, 2019
- Robert Jablon, “Quake damage estimate tops $5B at California Navy base,“
AP News, August 14, 2019
Web page by:
California Geological Survey - Seismic Hazards Program
Revised July 11, 2024
