Skip to content
II

Max Est. MMI

M3.8 earthquake · shaking intensity by town 11 km ESE of Willits, CA

Magnitude3.8
Depth8.7 km
Time 2026-01-13T22:51:55.930000Z UTC: 2026-01-13T22:51:55.930000Z
USGS ID nc75295291
ShakeMap View USGS ↗

Engineering Ground Motion Parameters

GMPE predictions provide an independent check on the ShakeMap interpolated intensities above. ShakeMap relies on seismic station recordings; in areas with sparse station coverage — or for large teleseismic events and earthquakes outside dense West Coast networks — ShakeMap MMI can be inaccurate. A significant difference between ShakeMap and GMPE estimates is a signal that the ShakeMap result should be treated as preliminary. Also includes site Vs30 values and raw ground motion parameters (PGA/PGV).

Show ▼

Est. Vs30 Values

Estimated shear-wave velocity in the upper 30 m used in GMPE calculations. Ref. column shows the 760 m/s rock-site reference for comparison.

Location Ref. (760 m/s) Est. Vs30 (m/s)
Willits
CA
760 352
Redwood Valley
CA
760 369
Brooktrails
CA
760 468

MMI vs Distance — Default Vs30 (760 m/s)

All methods using the 760 m/s rock-site reference. ShakeMap values are independent of Vs30.

MMI vs distance — default Vs30

MMI vs Distance — Est. Vs30

GMPEs use the Est. Vs30 values shown in the table above. ShakeMap values are independent of Vs30.

MMI vs distance — Est. Vs30

GMPE Residual — Observed − Predicted MMI

Signed residual at each seismic station. Positive values mean the GMPE underestimated shaking; negative values mean it overestimated. The dashed line at zero indicates perfect agreement.

GMPE residual plot

GMPE Predicted vs. Observed MMI at Seismic Stations

Each point is one seismic station. Points on the dashed 1:1 line indicate perfect agreement; above the line = GMPE underestimated shaking; below = overestimated.

GMPE predicted vs observed scatter

GMPE Performance — Station Observations

Statistics computed by comparing each GMPE's predicted MMI against ShakeMap observed MMI at seismic stations. Bias = mean(observed − predicted). Lower RMSE indicates better overall agreement with instrumental measurements.

GMPE Bias Sigma RMSE
ASK14 -0.02 0.22 0.22
BSSA14 -0.03 0.22 0.22
CY14 -0.05 0.23 0.23
CB14 -0.04 0.23 0.24
Bias > 0: GMPE underestimated shaking at stations. Bias < 0: GMPE overestimated shaking.

Peak Ground Motion — Seismic Station Observations

Recorded PGA and PGV at seismic stations, sorted by highest PGA. Top 25 stations shown. MMI (PGA) and MMI (PGV) are independent conversions via Worden et al. (2012) GMICE.

Station PGA (g) MMI (PGA) PGV (cm/s) MMI (PGV)
Barra Winery, Redwood Valley, CA (BK.BARR) 0.0959 Moderate(V) 2.233 Light(IV)
Van Arsdale (NC.GVA) 0.0091 Weak(III) 0.362 Weak(III)
DeCamp, Mendocino County, CA (BK.DCMP) 0.0080 Weak(III) 0.093 Weak(II)
Wonder Ranch (NC.GWR) 0.0078 Weak(III) 0.221 Weak(II)
Bevans Ridge (BK.BEVN) 0.0042 Weak(II) 0.163 Weak(II)
Orr Springs (BK.ORRS) 0.0036 Weak(II) 0.162 Weak(II)
Cow Mountain (NC.GCWB) 0.0025 Weak(II) 0.054 Not felt(I)
Spanish Creek (BK.SPAN) 0.0020 Weak(II) 0.078 Weak(II)
Beacon Light (NC.GBL) 0.0016 Weak(II) 0.049 Not felt(I)
Navarro Ridge (NC.GNR) 0.0015 Weak(II) 0.049 Not felt(I)
Bradford Ranch, Boonville, CA (BK.BONV) 0.0015 Weak(II) 0.042 Not felt(I)
Big Meadow Rd Philo (NC.GMR) 0.0011 Not felt(I) 0.036 Not felt(I)
Hamilton Opening (NC.GHO) 0.0009 Not felt(I) 0.041 Not felt(I)
Sherwood Rancheria area, Willits (BK.SHWD) 0.0008 Not felt(I) 0.030 Not felt(I)
Woodlands Fire Station, Mendocino, CA (BK.MNDO) 0.0008 Not felt(I) 0.041 Not felt(I)
Wildwood Ranch (NC.GWW) 0.0006 Not felt(I) 0.034 Not felt(I)
Fire Station 27 (NP.1858) 0.0006 Not felt(I) 0.011 Not felt(I)
Thermalito Afterbay Dam (WR.THER) 0.0005 Not felt(I) 0.006 Not felt(I)
Round Top Mountain (NC.GRT) 0.0005 Not felt(I) 0.027 Not felt(I)
Cloverdale #3 (NC.GCVB) 0.0005 Not felt(I) 0.021 Not felt(I)
Snow Mountain (NC.GSN) 0.0004 Not felt(I) 0.025 Not felt(I)
Hogback Ridge (NC.GHGB) 0.0004 Not felt(I) 0.022 Not felt(I)
Spanish Ridge (NC.GSR) 0.0004 Not felt(I) 0.020 Not felt(I)
Rackout Springs (NC.KRK) 0.0004 Not felt(I) 0.023 Not felt(I)
Hopland Research and Extension Center, Hopland, CA, USA (BK.HOPS) 0.0004 Not felt(I) 0.018 Not felt(I)
Source: USGS ShakeMap station recordings (view ShakeMap). PGA in g (fraction of gravitational acceleration); PGV in cm/s. The observed MMI shown on the map uses ShakeMap's reported instrumental intensity where available, or max(MMI from PGA, MMI from PGV) otherwise.

Ground Shaking Intensities — Interpolated ShakeMap MMI

3 sites
Location MMI Description
Willits
CA
Weak(II)
Redwood Valley
CA
Weak(III)
Brooktrails
CA
Weak(II)

Seismic Station Observed MMI

MMI values are derived directly from observed ground motion measurements at seismic stations and are not spatially interpolated.

3 stations
Station MMI Description
Barra Winery, Redwood Valley, CA (BK.BARR) Light(IV)
Van Arsdale (NC.GVA) Weak(III)
DeCamp, Mendocino County, CA (BK.DCMP) Weak(II)