M2.9 earthquake 9 km WSW of South Lake Tahoe, California, United States
A magnitude 2.9 earthquake struck 9 km WSW of South Lake Tahoe, California, United States at 23:58 local time (06:58 UTC) on 2 Oct 2026, at a depth of 11 km, according to USGS.
86 reports to USGS “Did You Feel It?”
Data: USGS · updated 2026-10-14 18:22 UTC · reviewed
- Magnitude
- 2.9micro
duration magnitude (md) - Depth
- 11.1 km
- Status
- Reviewed
- Origin time
- 2026-10-03 06:58:44 UTC
- Local: 2 Oct 2026, 23:58:44 (America/Los Angeles)
- Epicentre
- 38.894° N, 120.076° 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 |
|---|---|---|
| South Lake TahoeCalifornia, United States · pop. 21,706 | 9 km | IIWeak |
| GardnervilleNevada, United States · pop. 5,656 | 29 km | INot felt |
| Carson CityNevada, United States · pop. 58,639 | 40 km | INot felt |
| RenoNevada, United States · pop. 264,165 | 74 km | INot felt |
| SparksNevada, United States · pop. 96,094 | 76 km | INot felt |
| SacramentoCalifornia, United States · pop. 524,943 | 128 km | INot felt |
| StocktonCalifornia, United States · pop. 305,658 | 148 km | INot felt |
| OaklandCalifornia, United States · pop. 419,267 | 227 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 8 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 | 2.9 mdwas 2.9 | 11.1 km | 38.89° N, 120.08° W | – | Reviewed · 1 revision |
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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 304 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 11 km this was a shallow earthquake, which is felt more strongly at the surface than a deeper one of the same size.
M2.9 releases about 29× the energy of M1.9, and its waves are about 9.3× taller on a seismogram. Energy: 304 kg of TNT vs 11 kg of TNT.
Each square is the energy of one M1.9. Energy from log₁₀E = 1.5M + 4.8.
Aftershocks and nearby activity
No later earthquakes have been recorded within 30 km so far. 1 in the 7 days before. Aftershock rates usually fall off roughly in proportion to 1/time.
Did you feel it?
Reports from people help show where shaking was strong. They are anonymous and shown here in aggregate.
Event id nc75443306. First recorded here 3 Oct 2026, 07:01:59 UTC. Solutions: USGS · NC (usgs:nc75443306). Cite as: SeismoAtlas, “M2.9 earthquake 9 km WSW of South Lake Tahoe, California, United States”, https://seismoatlas.com/earthquake/nc75443306-m2-9-earthquake-9-km-wsw-of-south-lake-tahoe-california-united-states, data from USGS.
JSON: /api/v1/events/nc75443306. SeismoAtlas is not an official warning service.