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II

Max Est. MMI

24 km W of Petrolia, CA

Magnitude3.7
Depth20.2 km
Time 2026-09-16T14:34:51.940000Z UTC: 2026-09-16T14:34:51.940000Z
USGS ID nc75436587
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).

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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)
Ferndale
CA
760 273
Rio Dell
CA
760 468
Fortuna
CA
760 418

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 +0.16 0.46 0.48
BSSA14 +0.16 0.46 0.48
CY14 +0.15 0.44 0.47
CB14 +0.15 0.43 0.45
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)
Fire Station (NP.1023) 0.0148 Weak(II) 0.480 Weak(III)
Punta Gorda, Petrolia, CA (BK.PETL) 0.0074 Not felt(I) 0.165 Weak(II)
Walker Ranch; near Petrolia CA (BK.WLKR) 0.0051 Not felt(I) 0.113 Weak(II)
Pringle Ridge (NC.KPR) 0.0043 Not felt(I) 0.126 Weak(II)
Slide Mountain (NC.KSM) 0.0038 Not felt(I) 0.107 Weak(II)
Lost Coast Ranch (NP.1725) 0.0035 Not felt(I) 0.143 Weak(II)
Bunker Hill, NOAA Radar (NP.1584B) 0.0034 Not felt(I) 0.101 Weak(II)
Rainbow Ridge, Humboldt, CA (BK.RBOW) 0.0024 Not felt(I) 0.089 Weak(II)
Thorn Junction (NC.KTJ) 0.0021 Not felt(I) 0.035 Not felt(I)
Loleta Fire Station (NP.1586) 0.0017 Not felt(I) 0.058 Weak(II)
Cape Town (NC.KCT) 0.0013 Not felt(I) 0.051 Not felt(I)
Needle Rock (NC.KNR) 0.0013 Not felt(I) 0.029 Not felt(I)
Paradise Ridge (BK.PRDS) 0.0012 Not felt(I) 0.025 Not felt(I)
College of the Redwoods (NP.1582) 0.0010 Not felt(I) 0.029 Not felt(I)
Burgh Ranch (NC.KBU) 0.0009 Not felt(I) 0.031 Not felt(I)
Briceland Vineyard, Redway, CA (BK.BRIC) 0.0008 Not felt(I) 0.024 Not felt(I)
Grasshopper Mountain (BK.GHOP) 0.0007 Not felt(I) 0.019 Not felt(I)
Chalk Rock #2 (NC.KCR) 0.0006 Not felt(I) 0.021 Not felt(I)
Mail Ridge (NC.KMR) 0.0006 Not felt(I) 0.031 Not felt(I)
Garberville CALFire station (NP.1591) 0.0005 Not felt(I) 0.020 Not felt(I)
South Bay School (NP.1581) 0.0004 Not felt(I) 0.016 Not felt(I)
Usal Creek (BK.USAL) 0.0004 Not felt(I) 0.013 Not felt(I)
Black Lassic (BK.BLAS) 0.0004 Not felt(I) 0.012 Not felt(I)
Sproul Creek (BK.SPRL) 0.0003 Not felt(I) 0.011 Not felt(I)
Santa Rosa FS 7 (NP.1835) 0.0002 Not felt(I) 0.003 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
Ferndale
CA
Weak(II)
Rio Dell
CA
Not felt(I)
Fortuna
CA
Not felt(I)

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
Punta Gorda, Petrolia, CA (BK.PETL) Weak(II)
Walker Ranch; near Petrolia CA (BK.WLKR) Weak(II)
Cape Town (NC.KCT) Weak(II)