California's Largest Recorded Earthquakes Since 1800, Ranked by Magnitude
Magnitude
| Date
| Location
| Damage
|
|---|
| 7.9 | Jan. 9, 1857 | Fort Tejon | Two killed; 220-mile surface scar |
| 7.8 | April 18, 1906 |
San Francisco | Possibly 3,000 killed; 225,000 displaced
|
7.4
| Mar. 26, 1872 | Owens Valley
|
27 killed; three aftershocks of magnitude >6
|
| 7.4 | Nov. 8, 1980 | W. of Eureka* |
Injured 6; $2 million in damage
|
| 7.3 | July 21, 1952 | Kern County |
12 killed; 3 magnitude >6 aftershocks in 5 days
|
| 7.3 | June 28, 1992 | Landers |
One killed; 400 injured; $9.1 million in damage |
| 7.2 | Jan. 22, 1923 | Mendocino*
|
Damaged homes in several towns |
| 7.2 | April 25, 1992 | Cape Mendocino |
356 injuries; $48.3 million in damage
|
| 7.1 | Nov. 4, 1927 | SW of Lompoc* |
No major injuries; slight damage in 2 counties
|
| 7.1 | Oct. 16, 1999 | Ludlow |
Minimal damage due to remote location |
| 7.1 | July 5, 2019 | Ridgecrest/Trona |
Preceded by M6.4 quake; no fatalities
|
| 7.0 | May 18, 1940 | El Centro |
9 killed; $6 million in damage
|
| 6.9 | Oct. 17, 1989 |
Bay Area
| 63 killed; 3,753 hurt; up to $10 billion in damage
|
| 6.7 | Jan. 17, 1994 |
Northridge
| 57 killed; 9,000 hurt, up to $40 billion in damage
|
| 6.6 | Feb. 9, 1971 | San Fernando |
65 killed; 2,000 injured; $505 million in damage
|
| 6.4 | March 10, 1933 |
SE of Long Beach
| 115 killed; led to new building codes for schools |
* Offshore quake
Note: California has more quakes than what made this list. Read more about California's big quakes and the damage they caused here; or dive into the geology and how to prepare on our Earthquakes and Faults page.
