M 3.6 Earthquake Strikes 6 km NW of Pinnacles, CA
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 3.55 ml earthquake occurred 6 km northwest of Pinnacles, California, at a shallow depth of 2.19 km.
What this USGS earthquake report tells you, and what most readers miss
This notice was issued by USGS on August 12, 2026 and geographically references Central 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
A magnitude 3.55 ml earthquake struck at 12:36:57 UTC on July 2, 2026 (Unix timestamp 1785674217380). The event was located 6 km NW of Pinnacles, CA, with a depth of 2.19 km.
Location Details
The earthquake occurred at coordinates 36.563°N, 121.192°W. The shallow depth of 2.19 km classifies it as shallow (<20 km). Pinnacles is in central California.
Impact Assessment
The earthquake was felt by 1 person, with a maximum reported intensity (CDI) of 2 and instrumental intensity (MMI) of 4.12. No tsunami advisory was issued (tsunami flag: 0) and no alert level was assigned.
What You Should Know
Earthquakes of this magnitude (M 2.5-3.9) are often felt but rarely cause damage. Residents should be prepared for possible aftershocks and follow standard earthquake safety practices such as drop, cover, and hold on.
Source
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 (934 characters here).
Similar severity timing
Same severity (low) notices issued closest in time to August 12, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this USGS earthquake report.