M 3.5 Earthquake Strikes 2 km WSW of Brawley, 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 occurred 2 km west-southwest of Brawley, California, at a depth of approximately 14.7 km on January 1, 2026, at 00:15 UTC, and was felt by 7 people.
What this USGS earthquake report tells you, and what most readers miss
This notice was issued by USGS on May 9, 2026 and geographically references Southern 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, California.
What Happened
An earthquake with a magnitude of 3.5 ml struck 2 km WSW of Brawley, CA, at a depth of 14.7 km. The event occurred on January 1, 2026, at 00:15 UTC.
Location Details
The earthquake was centered at coordinates 32.97 latitude and -115.56 longitude, approximately 2 km west-southwest of Brawley, California. At a depth of 14.7 km, this is considered a shallow earthquake, which means it is more likely to be felt near the epicenter compared to deeper events.
Impact Assessment
The earthquake was reported as felt by 7 people, with a community decimal intensity (CDI) of 2.7 and a modified Mercalli intensity (MMI) of 3.51. There was no tsunami advisory issued, and no alert level was assigned.
What You Should Know
This minor earthquake, with a magnitude of 3.5, is often felt but rarely causes damage. There may be aftershocks, though specifics cannot be predicted. For safety, if you feel shaking, remember to drop, cover, and hold on.
Source
Information is from the United States Geological Survey (USGS). For more details, visit: https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/ci41459800
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 (1,124 characters here).
Similar severity timing
Same severity (low) notices issued closest in time to May 9, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this USGS earthquake report.