QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.2ml

Earthquake near Covelo, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Covelo in the 24 hours to 1:59 am PST (09:59 UTC). The last one was M 2.2, 9 km (6 mi) N, at 3:31 pm PST on 10 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Covelo

This page: a magnitude 3.2 earthquake was recorded 34 km (21 mi) east of Covelo, CA, at 8:18 pm PST on 9 February 2026 (04:18 UTC), 6.7 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 20 km NNW of Alder Springs, CA

89 km (55 mi) W of Chico, CA

8:18 pm PST, Feb 9, 2026 · · 6.7 km deep · released about 1,800 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Covelo Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Glenn County 45 kmTehama County 64 kmMendocino County 65 kmLake County 78 kmColusa County 88 kmTrinity County 96 kmButte County 108 km
Distance rings around the epicentre, with the nearest towns at their true direction and later quakes as coloured dots. Not a shaking map — see the USGS ShakeMap for that.
When
8:18 pm PST on 9 February 2026 ()
Where
34 km (21 mi) east of Covelo, CA · earthquakes near Covelo
Magnitude
M 3.2 (ml)
Depth
6.7 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Glenn County, 45 km ESE
Nearest mapped fault
Bartlett Springs fault system, 15 km from its surface trace — near is not the same as on
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 196 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 45 km (28 mi) from the epicentre. In Covelo, 34 km away, the estimate is intensity II (weak). Estimated from magnitude, depth and distance with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses; felt reports, where there are any, are the measurement.

Likely felt in: Covelo 34 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1,800 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.2 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 190,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 8,500× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 6,000× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.2 about 1,800 lb of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 1.9× more

Energy from the Gutenberg–Richter relation (log10E = 1.5M + 4.8), rounded to two figures; bar length is magnitude, which is already a logarithm of energy. Magnitudes of past earthquakes from the USGS catalogue.

For this area

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.2 on 2025-03-17 — about 32 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists one earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.5 33 km NW of Rancho Tehama Reserve, California · 46 km NNE of this epicentre

Since 2016: the QuakeIndex catalogue (US, M1.5+), built from the USGS FDSN event service. Before 2016: USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900. Distances are between epicentres. This is the record, not a forecast.

Where

Epicentre 39.8038, -122.8572. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Glenn County, CA 45 km (28 mi) ESE earthquakes near Glenn County
Tehama County, CA 64 km (40 mi) NE earthquakes near Tehama County
Mendocino County, CA 65 km (40 mi) SW earthquakes near Mendocino County
Lake County, CA 78 km (48 mi) S earthquakes near Lake County
Colusa County, CA 88 km (54 mi) SE earthquakes near Colusa County
Trinity County, CA 96 km (60 mi) NNW earthquakes near Trinity County

Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.

Aftershocks so far

50 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.

  1. 1.7 4 km ENE of Covelo, CA
  2. 1.8 4 km ENE of Covelo, CA
  3. 1.6 4 km ENE of Covelo, CA
  4. 2.3 4 km ENE of Covelo, CA
  5. 1.8 4 km ENE of Covelo, CA
  6. 3.2 4 km ENE of Covelo, CA
  7. 1.8 4 km ENE of Covelo, CA
  8. 1.6 4 km E of Covelo, CA
  9. 2.4 4 km E of Covelo, CA
  10. 2.7 4 km E of Covelo, CA
  11. 1.6 4 km E of Covelo, CA
  12. 1.7 4 km E of Covelo, CA
  13. 1.6 4 km E of Covelo, CA
  14. 2.2 4 km E of Covelo, CA
  15. 3.3 4 km E of Covelo, CA

Counted from the QuakeIndex database, which ingests the USGS feed every 30 seconds · as of . QuakeIndex does not forecast aftershocks. When USGS issues an operational aftershock forecast it appears on the USGS event page.

On USGS

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.