USGS · September 27, 2026

Magnitude 2.6 earthquake near Patterson, California

A magnitude 2.6 earthquake was recorded near 26 km WSW of Westley, CA on Sep 27, 2026, 07:40 AM (local time at the epicentre — PDT, UTC-7), at a depth of about 2.7 km, according to USGS.

USGSShallow (0–70 km)Automatic solution — subject to revision

Updated 2026-09-27 17:35 UTC

The full record

Magnitude
M 2.6 · duration magnitude
Location
26 km WSW of Westley, CA
Local time at the epicentre
Sep 27, 2026, 07:40 AM — PDT, UTC-7
Time (UTC)
2026-09-27 14:40 UTC
Depth
2.7 km · Shallow (0–70 km)
Coordinates
37.421, -121.455
Felt reports
No “Did You Feel It?” reports submitted
Tsunami
No tsunami evaluation was flagged for this earthquake.
Significance
106 / 1000 · routine event
Solution quality
59 seismic stations used · 77° azimuthal gap (well-constrained epicentre)
Review status
Automatic solution — subject to revision
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.

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 21,498 people live in towns within 30 km of the epicentre, and 8,394,235 within 100 km. Distances are from the epicentre to the town centre.

PlaceDistancePopulation
Patterson29.3 km E21,498
East Foothills32.3 km W8,269
Alum Rock33.4 km W15,536
Tracy35.5 km N87,075
Morgan Hill36.8 km SSW42,948
Seven Trees37.1 km WSW1,788
Communications Hill38.3 km WSW11,267
San Martin39.8 km SSW7,027
Milpitas39.9 km W77,604
San Jose39.9 km WSW997,368

Earthquake history in this area

12 earthquakes of magnitude 4.5+ have 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.

Be first to know about the next earthquake near 26 km WSW of Westley, CA

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Frequently asked questions

How strong was the 26 km WSW of Westley, CA earthquake?

Magnitude 2.6 (duration magnitude), at a depth of 2.7 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?

Sep 27, 2026, 07:40 AM (local time at the epicentre — PDT, UTC-7). In universal time: 2026-09-27 14:40 UTC.

Was it felt?

No “Did You Feel It?” reports were submitted for this event. Not felt except by a very few under especially favourable conditions.

Was there a tsunami warning?

No tsunami evaluation was flagged for this earthquake.

Which towns are closest to the epicentre?

The closest is Patterson, 29.3 km E (population 21,498).

Are earthquakes normal in this area?

Yes. The largest earthquake recorded within 200 km since 1960 was magnitude 6.9 (The 1989 Loma Prieta, California Earthquake, 1989), and 8 further events were recorded within 100 km 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), in Venezuela FUNVISIS and in Brazil the RSBR through the Centro de Sismologia da USP. Populated places and time zones: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Preliminary solutions are revised as more observations arrive.