M2.6 earthquake 4 km E of Santa Rosa, California, United States
A magnitude 2.6 earthquake struck 4 km E of Santa Rosa, California, United States at 18:40 local time (01:40 UTC) on 15 Sept 2026, at a depth of 10 km, according to USGS.
171 reports to USGS “Did You Feel It?”
Data: USGS · updated 2026-09-27 13:32 UTC · reviewed
- Magnitude
- 2.6micro
duration magnitude (md) - Depth
- 10.2 km
- Status
- Reviewed
- Origin time
- 2026-09-16 01:40:30 UTC
- Local: 15 Sept 2026, 18:40:30 (America/Los Angeles)
- Epicentre
- 38.436° N, 122.670° W
Circles show this event and others within 30 km from 7 days before to 30 days after. Lines: plate boundaries and GEM active faults. Open on the live map
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Est. shaking |
|---|---|---|
| Santa RosaCalifornia, United States · pop. 178,127 | 4 km | IIWeak |
| Larkfield-WikiupCalifornia, United States · pop. 8,884 | 11 km | IIWeak |
| Rohnert ParkCalifornia, United States · pop. 42,407 | 11 km | IIWeak |
| WindsorCalifornia, United States · pop. 27,464 | 18 km | IIWeak |
| Agua CalienteCalifornia, United States · pop. 27,090 | 20 km | INot felt |
| San FranciscoCalifornia, United States · pop. 827,526 | 77 km | INot felt |
| OaklandCalifornia, United States · pop. 419,267 | 79 km | INot felt |
| SacramentoCalifornia, United States · pop. 524,943 | 104 km | INot felt |
Shaking is an estimate from the intensity prediction equation of Allen, Wald & Worden (2012), not an observation. Local ground and buildings can change it by a level or more. Likely felt out to about 3 km.
Every agency's solution
Agencies locate earthquakes with their own stations and methods, so their numbers differ. We match reports of the same event by time, distance and magnitude and show them side by side. The headline uses USGS · NC, which has been reviewed by an analyst.
| Agency | Magnitude | Depth | Epicentre | Time offset | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USGS · NCheadlineNorthern California Seismic System via U.S. Geological Survey | 2.6 md | 10.2 km | 38.44° N, 122.67° W | – | Reviewed |
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How big was it?
Usually not felt. Recorded by nearby seismometers; thousands occur worldwide every day.
It released roughly the energy of 120 kg of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step means about 32 times more energy and 10 times larger waves on a seismogram. Depth matters too: at 10 km this was a shallow earthquake, which is felt more strongly at the surface than a deeper one of the same size.
M2.6 releases about 32× the energy of M1.6, and its waves are about 10× taller on a seismogram. Energy: 120 kg of TNT vs 4 kg of TNT.
Each square is the energy of one M1.6. Energy from log₁₀E = 1.5M + 4.8.
Aftershocks and nearby activity
5 later earthquakes within 30 km; the largest was M2.2 1 day ago. Aftershock rates usually fall off roughly in proportion to 1/time.
Mainshock M2.6
5 later earthquakes nearby. Aftershock rates typically fall off roughly as 1/time (Omori's law).
| Time after mainshock (hours) | Magnitude | Depth (km) |
|---|---|---|
| 144.65 | 1.5 | 5 |
| 169.10 | 1.2 | 0 |
| 176.39 | 1.0 | 7 |
| 179.49 | 2.2 | 8 |
| 284.50 | 2.2 | 8 |
- 2.29 km NE of Agua Caliente, California, United States09-27 22:10
- 2.29 km NE of Agua Caliente, California, United States09-23 13:10
- 1.55 km N of Santa Rosa, California, United States09-22 02:19
- 1.26 km NNE of Saint Helena, California, United States09-23 02:46
- 1.04 km E of Saint Helena, California, United States09-23 10:03
Did you feel it?
Reports from people help show where shaking was strong. They are anonymous and shown here in aggregate.
Event id nc75436337. First recorded here 28 Sept 2026, 17:32:11 UTC. Solutions: USGS · NC (usgs:nc75436337). Cite as: SeismoAtlas, “M2.6 earthquake 4 km E of Santa Rosa, California, United States”, https://seismoatlas.com/earthquake/nc75436337-m2-6-earthquake-4-km-e-of-santa-rosa-california-united-states, data from USGS.
JSON: /api/v1/events/nc75436337. SeismoAtlas is not an official warning service.