USGS · August 9, 2026

Magnitude 2.9 earthquake — 5 km NW of Pinnacles, CA

A magnitude 2.9 earthquake was recorded near 5 km NW of Pinnacles, CA on Aug 9, 2026, 07:39 PM (local time at the epicentre — PDT, UTC-7), at a depth of about 4.0 km, according to USGS.

USGSShallow (0–70 km)Reviewed by a seismologist

Updated 2026-09-04 18:17 UTC

The full record

Magnitude: M 2.9 · duration magnitude
Location: 5 km NW of Pinnacles, CA
Local time at the epicentre: Aug 9, 2026, 07:39 PM — PDT, UTC-7
Time (UTC): 2026-08-10 02:39 UTC
Depth: 4.0 km · Shallow (0–70 km)
Coordinates: 36.570, -121.178
Felt reports: No “Did You Feel It?” reports submitted
Tsunami: No tsunami evaluation was flagged for this earthquake.
Significance: 128 / 1000 · routine event
Solution quality: 81 seismic stations used · 43° azimuthal gap (well-constrained epicentre)
Review status: Reviewed by a seismologist
Catalog: USGS

Open the official catalog record

Epicentre and nearby recent earthquakes

The highlighted circle is this earthquake. Smaller circles are other events recorded nearby in the last 30 days.

What the shaking was like

Shallow earthquakes release their energy close to the surface, so they are felt more strongly nearby than a deeper earthquake of the same magnitude.

No intensity estimate was published for this event, which is usual for small earthquakes far from populated areas.

Felt it yourself? USGS collects first-hand reports through “Did You Feel It?”, and those reports are what produce the community intensity above.

Who lives nearby

About 50,660 people live in towns within 30 km of the epicentre, and 873,269 within 100 km. Distances are from the epicentre to the town centre.

Place	Distance	Population
Soledad	20.9 km SW	25,003
Gonzales	24.8 km WSW	8,473
Greenfield	28.3 km SSW	17,184
Chualar	30.4 km W	1,190
Ridgemark	31.8 km NNW	3,016
Hollister	37.2 km NNW	37,462
King City	40.0 km S	13,902
Salinas	44.2 km WNW	157,380
San Juan Bautista	44.4 km NW	1,961
Boronda	46.6 km WNW	1,710

Earthquake history in this area

No earthquake of magnitude 4.5+ has been recorded within 200 km of this epicentre since 1960, in California.

Other earthquakes near this epicentre

11 other events within 100 km in the last 30 days.

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Frequently asked questions

How strong was the 5 km NW of Pinnacles, CA earthquake?

Magnitude 2.9 (duration magnitude), at a depth of 4.0 km. Shallow earthquakes release their energy close to the surface, so they are felt more strongly nearby than a deeper earthquake of the same magnitude.

Exactly when did it happen?

Aug 9, 2026, 07:39 PM (local time at the epicentre — PDT, UTC-7). In universal time: 2026-08-10 02:39 UTC.

Was it felt?

No “Did You Feel It?” reports were submitted for this event. Small earthquakes usually pass unnoticed except very close to the epicentre.

Was there a tsunami warning?

No tsunami evaluation was flagged for this earthquake.

Which towns are closest to the epicentre?

The closest is Soledad, 20.9 km SW (population 25,003).

Are earthquakes normal in this area?

11 further events were recorded within 100 km of the epicentre in the last 30 days.

How do I get alerts for the next earthquake here?

Install the free SeismoWatch Android app, draw a box over this area, set a minimum magnitude, and turn alerts on.

About this page

Event data: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) and, in Venezuela, FUNVISIS. Populated places and time zones: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Preliminary solutions are revised as more observations arrive.