USGS · August 9, 2026

Magnitude 2.6 earthquake — 2 km W of The Geysers, CA

A magnitude 2.6 earthquake was recorded near 2 km W of The Geysers, CA on Aug 9, 2026, 11:05 PM (local time at the epicentre — PDT, UTC-7), at a depth of about 3.2 km, according to USGS.

USGSFelt by 1 person · community intensity III (weak)Shallow (0–70 km)Reviewed by a seismologist

Updated 2026-09-04 18:17 UTC

The full record

Magnitude
M 2.6 · duration magnitude
Location
2 km W of The Geysers, CA
Local time at the epicentre
Aug 9, 2026, 11:05 PM — PDT, UTC-7
Time (UTC)
2026-08-10 06:05 UTC
Depth
3.2 km · Shallow (0–70 km)
Coordinates
38.780, -122.781
Felt reports
Felt by 1 person · community intensity III (weak)
Tsunami
No tsunami evaluation was flagged for this earthquake.
Significance
102 / 1000 · routine event
Solution quality
112 seismic stations used · 20° 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.

People who reported it described intensity III (Weak): Felt indoors; hanging objects swing, like a passing truck.

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 97,205 people live in towns within 30 km of the epicentre, and 1,529,438 within 100 km. Distances are from the epicentre to the town centre.

PlaceDistancePopulation
Cobb6.9 km NE1,778
Middletown14.7 km ESE1,323
Hidden Valley Lake19.5 km E5,579
Clear Lake Riviera20.0 km NNE3,090
Healdsburg20.3 km SSW11,742
Cloverdale20.7 km W8,811
Lower Lake20.7 km NE1,294
Kelseyville22.6 km NNW3,353
Clearlake23.9 km NE15,182
Soda Bay24.6 km N1,016

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

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

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Frequently asked questions

How strong was the 2 km W of The Geysers, CA earthquake?

Magnitude 2.6 (duration magnitude), at a depth of 3.2 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, 11:05 PM (local time at the epicentre — PDT, UTC-7). In universal time: 2026-08-10 06:05 UTC.

Was it felt?

Felt by 1 person · community intensity III (weak). Felt indoors; hanging objects swing, like a passing truck.

Was there a tsunami warning?

No tsunami evaluation was flagged for this earthquake.

Which towns are closest to the epicentre?

The closest is Cobb, 6.9 km NE (population 1,778).

Are earthquakes normal in this area?

8 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.