SIGNIFICANT EARTHQUAKES IN 2002

Earthquakes in the western North America (British Colombia, Washington, Oregon, Nevada & California) Magnitude 4.0 and larger:

Summary: Fifty-four magnitude 4 or larger earthquakes were reported in the Western States and Canada. The largest was a magnitude 6 earthquake located far offshore of the Oregon coast on the Blanco fault. The earthquake was too far offshore to be reported felt. Six earthquakes in the magnitude 5 range occurred - most located too far offshore to be felt by many. The most widely felt earthquake occurred on February 22 located near the California - Baja California border. It was felt from Los Angeles to Phoenix. The most damaging earthquake of the year was the magnitude 4.9 Central California earthquake on May 14. It caused broken windows and minor damage in the Gilroy area.

DATE TIME (UTC)

DEPTH (km)

mb

ML

Mw

Location

JANUARY

02 12:11:26

13

4.2

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. 9 miles NNW Borrego Springs. Felt (peak MMI IV) San Diego to Twentynine Palms and San Bernardino.

28 05 53 28.0

13

4.2

4.2

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. 6 miles WSW Valencia. Felt (peak MMI IV) in Los Angeles, Orange, Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties.

FEBRUARY

22 19 32 41.6

10

5.3

5.6

CALIF.-BAJA CALIF. BORDER REGION. 27 miles SSE Calexico. Some damage at Mexicali, Baja California. Felt from Los Angeles, California to Phoenix, Arizona.

MARCH

16 21:33:22

<10

4.6

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. Offshore Los Angeles, 40 miles SSW Oxnard. Felt from Goleta to San Clemente.

24 10 44 07

5

4.2

SOUTHERN NEVADA. 24 miles S Alamo, NV. Felt.

27 03 52 46

10

4

OFF COAST N CALIFORNIA. 128 miles W Petrolia, Mendocino fault. Not felt.

APRIL

04 04 29 11

10

4.5

VANCOUVER ISL, CANADA REGION. 105 miles W of Port Hardy, BC. Not felt.

05 08 02 55

3

4.3

4.2

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. 16 miles SSW Ludlow. Felt from Indio and Hemet to Barstow. Oct 1999 Hector Mine Aftershock.

30 00 43 29

28.9

4.3

4.4

4.6

OFF COAST NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. 11 miles WNW Ferndale. Gorda plate. Felt (peak IV) McKinleyville to Leggett..

MAY

01 14 31 37

10

4.8

OFF COAST OREGON. 260 miles W Newport Oregon, Blanco fault. Not felt.

07 20 36 48

10

4

OFF COAST OREGON. 245 miles W Newport Oregon, Blanco fault. Not felt.

04 13 56 31

5

4.3

4.4

OFF COAST NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. 17 miles W Petrolia, Mendocino fault. Felt Eureka to Whitethorn & Redway.

14 05:00:29

7.6

4.6

5.2

4.9

CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. 3 miles SW Gilroy. Sargent fault. Felt Santa Rosa/Napa to Merced/Stockton and San Luis Obispo. Peak intensity VI in Gilroy, broken windows and pipes, items off shelves.

15 07 06 20

15

5.2

5.4

OFF COAST OREGON. 140 miles W Coos Bay. Blanco fault. Not felt.

15 17 54 48

8.1

4.2

4.3

4.2

SOUTHERN OREGON. 6 miles W Klamath Falls. Felt Gold Hill to Beatty, OR and Yreka to Tulelake, CA.

16 14 44 25

10

4.1

OFF COAST OREGON. 120 miles W Coos Bay. Blanco fault. Not felt.

JUNE

01 00:15:58

2.5

3.8

4.1

OFF COAST NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. 76 miles W Crescent City, Gorda plate. Not reported felt.

14 12 40 44

12

4.3

4.4

4.6

WESTERN NEVADA. 29 miles ESE of Beatty, NV. Felt in the Amaragosa Valley area and in Las Vegas.

17 16 55 07

19.6

4.9

5.1

5.3

OFF COAST NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. 23 miles W Eureka, Gorda plate. Felt (peak intensity V) from Garberville to Grants Pass and Medford, OR and east to Yreka and Redding.

29 14 36 04

6

4

4.5

WASHINGTON-OREGON BORDER. 3 miles S Mt. Hood summit, 30 miles SW The Dalles. Felt from The Dalles to Vancouver WA, Portland and Salem, OR.

JULY

09 18 40 36

5

6

OFF COAST OREGON. 150 miles W Coos Bay. Blanco fault. Not felt.

10 21 31 14

10

4.2

OFFSHORE VANCOUVER ISLAND. Not felt.

11 00 52 46

10

4.1

OFFSHORE VANCOUVER ISLAND. Not felt.

14 00 19 21

10

4.3

OFFSHORE VANCOUVER ISLAND. Not felt.

15 20 18 18

14

4.1

CALIFORNIA-NEVADA BORDER AREA. 2 miles W Bishop. Felt.

AUGUST

16 16 06 27

10

4.4

4.6

BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA. 36 miles NNE Princeton, BC. Felt (III-IV) throughout the Okanagan Valley and as far south as northern Washington State.

22 19 24 13

10

5

4.5

OFF COAST OREGON. 212 miles W Coos Bay. Blanco fault. Not felt.

22 19 25 16

10

4.6

OFF COAST OREGON. 212 miles W Coos Bay. Blanco fault. Not felt.

SEPTEMBER

02 13 38 11

22

5.2

OFF COAST OREGON. 212 miles W Coos Bay. Blanco fault. Not felt.

02 13 39 18

19

5.4

5

5.7

OFF COAST OREGON. 210 miles W Coos Bay. Blanco fault. Not felt. 5 mag. 4.1 - 4.7 aftershocks in 5 hours.

03 07 08 51

13

4.3

4.8

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. 3 miles NE of Yorba Linda. Felt V at Brea. Felt widely in the greater Los Angeles area and from San Diego to Palm Springs.

05 11 29 07

26

4.8

5.2

QUEEN CHARLOTTE ISLANDS REGION. 61 miles W of Massett, BC. Felt (III-IV) across the Queen Charlotte Islands.

14 09 06 59

10

4.4

OFF COAST OREGON. 270 miles W Newport. Blanco fault. Not felt.

21 00 55 21

20

3.7

4.1

SAN JUAN ISLANDS REGION, WASHINGTON. 24 miles W of Anacortes, Washington. Felt Victoria, southern Vancouver Island, Port Angeles, Bellingham and throughout Puget Sound.

21 21 26 16.0

12

3.8

4.1

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. 6 mile NNE Ocotillo Wells. Felt (IV) at Borrego Springs and Thermal; (III) at Lakeside, La Quinta, Palm Desert, Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage; (II) at Alpine, Desert Hot Springs, Ramona, Redlands and San Diego.

25 04 03 50

10

4.1

OFF COAST OREGON. 114 miles W Coos Bay. Blanco fault. Not felt

27 14 17 35

10

4.1

OFF COAST OREGON. 180 miles W Florence. Blanco fault. Not felt.

28 10 34 47

3.7

4.1

SOUTH-CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. 13 miles NNE of Trona. Felt in Trona and Ridgecrest.

28 18 11 29

3.4

4

SOUTH-CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. 13 miles NNE of Trona. Felt in Trona and Ridgecrest.

OCTOBER

08 08 49 43

10

4.6

VANCOUVER ISL., CANADA REGION. 135 miles SW of Port Hardy, BC. Not reported felt.

11 01 09 41

10

4.7

VANCOUVER ISL., CANADA REGION. 168 miles WSW of Campbell River, BC. Not reported felt.

11 14 42 59

10

4.1

OFF COAST OREGON. 274 miles W Newport. Blanco fault. Not felt.

17 08 11 58

10

4

OFF COAST NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. 124 miles W Petrolia, Mendocino fault. Not felt.

27 07 48 39

10

4.3

OFF COAST OREGON. 235 miles W Newport. Blanco fault. Not felt.

29 14 16 54

4.6

4.8

4.6

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. 8 miles NW Ludlow. Felt Baker, Barstow (IV), Ludlow, Twentynine Palms, San Bernardino.

30 02 32 05

20

4.2

5

QUEEN CHARLOTTE ISLANDS REGION. 37 miles SSW Sandspit, British Columbia. Felt.

NOVEMBER

03 01 49 29

16

5.6

5

QUEEN CHARLOTTE ISLANDS REGION. 150 miles WNW Port Hardy, British Columbia.

05 22 34 05

10

4

OFF COAST SOUTHERN OREGON. 108 miles W Coos Bay. Blanco fault. Not felt.

06 06 55 27

1

3.8

4.6

SOUTHERN YUKON TERRITORY, CANADA. Felt at Faro and Whitehorse.

07 18 44 15

10

4.4

OFF COAST NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. 118 miles W Petrolia, Mendocino fault. Not felt.

12 16 48 25

8

4.4

4.2

4.1

CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. 7 miles NW Parkfield on the San Andreas fault. Felt Parkfield (IV) and from Fresno to Santa Maria.

18 08 22 25

1

4.2

4.4

SOUTHERN YUKON TERRITORY, CANADA. Felt at Haines Junction and Whitehorse.

DECEMBER

09 03 46 31

10

4.4

4.3

OFF THE COAST OF OREGON. 269 miles W Newport, OR. Blanco fault.

09 04 27 53

10

4.3

OFF THE COAST OF OREGON. 265 miles W Newport, OR. Blanco fault.

09 04 31 54

10

4.2

OFF THE COAST OF OREGON. 266 miles W Newport, OR. Blanco fault.

Magnitudes: mb body wave magnitude, Mw moment magnitude, ML local magnitude. MMI: Modified Mercalli Intensity.

This information compiled by Lori Dengler, Humboldt Earthquake Education Center based on information provided by the U.S. Geological Survey, Berkeley Seismological Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, and Harvard University, January 10, 2003.