M7.0 Earthquake near 2024 Offshore Cape Mendocino, California Earthquake — December 5, 2024
2024-12-05 18:44:21 UTC (2024-12-05) · approx. 10:44 AM UTC-8 local
Felt by 16,883 people across a wide area. Maximum shaking intensity MMI 8.1 (violent).
On December 5, 2024 at 18:44 UTC, a magnitude 7.0 shallow crustal earthquake struck near 2024 Offshore Cape Mendocino, California Earthquake, at a depth of 10.0 km and coordinates 40.3740°, -125.0217°. The earthquake was reported felt by 16,883 peopleacross a wide area, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 8.1 (violent). The USGS PAGER system issued a yellow alert level for this event, indicating local impact possible. This earthquake was detected by 172 seismic stations with moderate location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 1504, making it one of the most significant global earthquakes in recent days. The nearest populated place is Ferndale (population 1,371).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 7.0 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 477 kilotons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 41 km — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
The epicenter is located in California, a region characterized by the San Andreas transform fault system, where the Pacific and North American plates slide past each other at roughly 46 mm per year. The nearest mapped fault system is the San Andreas Fault. View all earthquakes in California.
Learn more: San Andreas Fault · Magnitude scale · Aftershock sequences
Nearest Populated Places
What the Shaking Felt Like
At MMI 8.1 (violent), people in the most strongly affected areas would have experienced: Severe shaking causing considerable damage. Buildings may shift off foundations. Walls crack and may partially collapse. Heavy furniture overturned.
ShakeMap — predicted shaking intensity
Modeled ground-motion intensity contoured on the Modified Mercalli scale (MMI). Computed by the USGS from the moment-tensor solution and regional ground-motion prediction equations.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 16,883 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
Population exposure (USGS PAGER)
Estimated population that experienced each level of shaking. Based on the USGS PAGER rapid impact assessment, which combines ShakeMap output with global population grids.
| Shaking intensity (MMI) | Description | Population exposed |
|---|---|---|
| MMI 3 | weak | 3,179,272 |
| MMI 4 | light | 217,163 |
| MMI 5 | moderate | 63,087 |
| MMI 6 | strong | 26,919 |
| MMI 7 | very strong | 10,010 |
| MMI 8 | severe | 249 |
Earthquake Details
-125.0217°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 7.0 earthquake near 2024 Offshore Cape Mendocino, California Earthquake?
The magnitude 7.0 earthquake that struck near 2024 Offshore Cape Mendocino, California Earthquake on December 5, 2024 at 18:44 UTC had a depth of 10.0 km. It was felt by 16,883 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 8.1 (violent). For context, this was a strong earthquake capable of causing significant damage.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 40.3740°, -125.0217°, which is near 2024 Offshore Cape Mendocino, California Earthquake. The nearest populated place is Ferndale (population 1,371). View all earthquakes in California.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 7.0 earthquakes can continue for months to years and gradually diminish over time.
Has California had earthquakes this big before?
The largest recorded earthquake in California was the M7.9 Fort Tejon earthquake of January 9, 1857. Today's magnitude 7.0 event is within one magnitude unit of that historical record.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: nc75095651). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2024, December 5, 2024). M7.0 Earthquake near 2024 Offshore Cape Mendocino, California Earthquake — December 5, 2024. Retrieved July 17, 2026 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/nc75095651/