QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 4.3mw

Earthquake near Crescent City, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Crescent City in the 24 hours to 1:42 am PST (09:42 UTC). The last one was M 4.9, 162 km (101 mi) WNW, at 2:55 am PDT on 6 August 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 5 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Crescent City

This page: a magnitude 4.3 earthquake was recorded 29 km (18 mi) south of Crescent City, CA, at 9:26 pm PST on 22 January 2024 (05:26 UTC), 36 km deep. 200 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 16 km WSW of Klamath, CA

9:26 pm PST, Jan 22, 2024 · · 36 km deep · released about 47 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Crescent City Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Del Norte County 33 kmHumboldt County 91 kmCurry County 108 kmJosephine County 112 km
Distance rings around the epicentre, with the nearest towns at their true direction and later quakes as coloured dots. Not a shaking map — see the USGS ShakeMap for that.
When
9:26 pm PST on 22 January 2024 ()
Where
29 km (18 mi) south of Crescent City, CA · earthquakes near Crescent City
Magnitude
M 4.3 (mw)
Depth
36 km below the surface
Felt
200 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Measured shaking
intensity III (ShakeMap)
USGS impact alert
green
Nearest
Del Norte County, 33 km NNE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 309 days ago

This was a light earthquake. It is usually felt clearly nearby and can rattle windows and dishes, but damage is uncommon.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 119 km (74 mi) from the epicentre. In Crescent City, 29 km away, the estimate is intensity III (weak). Estimated from magnitude, depth and distance with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses; felt reports, where there are any, are the measurement.

Likely felt in: Crescent City 29 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 47 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 5.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 3,600× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 160× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 110× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 4.3 about 47 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 99× more

Energy from the Gutenberg–Richter relation (log10E = 1.5M + 4.8), rounded to two figures; bar length is magnitude, which is already a logarithm of energy. Magnitudes of past earthquakes from the USGS catalogue.

For this area

The largest earthquake within 50 km (31 mi) since our catalogue begins in 2016. The previous largest was M 4.3 on 2023-01-20.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 3 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 7.2 The 1980 Eureka, California Earthquake · 43 km S of this epicentre
  2. 6.5 52 km WNW of Big Lagoon, California · 47 km WSW of this epicentre
  3. 5.9 5 km NNE of Hiouchi, California · 40 km NNE of this epicentre

Since 2016: the QuakeIndex catalogue (US, M1.5+), built from the USGS FDSN event service. Before 2016: USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900. Distances are between epicentres. This is the record, not a forecast.

Where

Epicentre 41.4990, -124.2015. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Del Norte County, CA 33 km (21 mi) NNE earthquakes near Del Norte County
Humboldt County, CA 91 km (57 mi) SSE earthquakes near Humboldt County
Curry County, OR 108 km (67 mi) N earthquakes near Curry County
Josephine County, OR 112 km (69 mi) NNE earthquakes near Josephine County
Trinity County, CA 131 km (82 mi) SE earthquakes near Trinity County

Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.

Aftershocks so far

22 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.

  1. 1.5 25 km WNW of Crescent City, California
  2. 2.4 20 km SE of Klamath, CA
  3. 2.3 4 km ENE of Trinidad, CA
  4. 1.9 12 km NE of Westhaven-Moonstone, CA
  5. 2.4 38 km WNW of Trinidad, CA
  6. 2.2 14 km NNW of Trinidad, CA
  7. 3.2 28 km NW of Trinidad, CA
  8. 2.4 14 km SSW of Crescent City, CA
  9. 2.3 17 km NNW of Trinidad, CA
  10. 2.1 12 km NE of Westhaven-Moonstone, CA
  11. 2.5 14 km SSW of Bertsch-Oceanview, CA
  12. 1.9 12 km WSW of Smith River, California
  13. 2.8 18 km SSE of Klamath, CA
  14. 2.7 13 km SSW of Bertsch-Oceanview, CA
  15. 2.6 18 km SSW of Brookings, OR

Counted from the QuakeIndex database, which ingests the USGS feed every 30 seconds · as of . QuakeIndex does not forecast aftershocks. When USGS issues an operational aftershock forecast it appears on the USGS event page.

On USGS

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.