M 3.5 Earthquake Near Covelo, California
Areazine synthesizes this USGS earthquake report directly from USGS's official public data feed. See our methodology for full source attribution and refresh cadence.
A magnitude 3.5 earthquake struck 5 km ENE of Covelo, California, at a shallow depth, with two reports of it being felt.
What this USGS earthquake report tells you, and what most readers miss
This notice was issued by USGS on May 8, 2026 and geographically references Northern California. Its severity classification of "low" signals how the issuing agency weighs the risk of harm if no action is taken - "critical" and "high" tier alerts typically carry direct consumer actions, while "medium" and "low" tend toward informational guidance or monitoring advisories. The category it belongs to - Earthquakes - determines the monitoring protocol behind it, which shapes what follow-up action (checking for structural damage, watching for aftershocks, reviewing local building codes) is relevant and which agency holds authority over the assessment.
Most readers skim a notice like this, check whether they are personally affected, and move on. The more useful lens is to verify its scope, source, and timestamp, then compare related notices without assuming that one record proves a broader trend.
Areazine pairs this record with the original agency URL so you can check the primary source before acting. Its related labels are earthquake, seismic, usgs, Northern California.
What Happened
A magnitude 3.53 ml earthquake occurred on March 13, 2026, at 07:48:24 UTC (exact local timezone undetermined), located 5 km ENE of Covelo, CA. The earthquake happened at a depth of -0.63 km, which is considered very shallow as depths less than 20 km can cause more noticeable shaking near the epicenter.
Location Details
The earthquake was centered at coordinates 39.8051681518555 latitude and -123.194000244141 longitude, near Covelo in California. This places it in a rural area of Northern California, and the shallow depth means any effects would likely be localized to the immediate vicinity.
Impact Assessment
Two people reported feeling the earthquake, with a Community Decimal Intensity (CDI) of 2.7 indicating very light shaking. There was no tsunami advisory issued, as indicated by the tsunami value of 0, and no alert level was assigned.
What You Should Know
This minor earthquake, with a magnitude of 3.53, is often felt but rarely causes damage. Aftershocks are possible following such events, though specifics cannot be predicted. For safety, if you feel shaking, remember to drop to the ground, cover your head and neck, and hold on until it stops.
Source
Information is from the USGS. For more details, visit: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/nc75357091
Original source: USGS Official Notice ↗
Related Earthquakes
All Earthquakes →Nationwide notices with similar length or severity timing 8
Two Areazine-derived peer sets for this USGS earthquake report: nearest notices by body length and by same severity near the same agency date. Peers come from other categories so they are not the same-feed Related list above.
Similar body length
Nearest notices by article body length (1,321 characters here).
Similar severity timing
Same severity (low) notices issued closest in time to May 8, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this USGS earthquake report.