M 3.7 Earthquake 10 km NNE of Kettleman City, 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 3.66 ml earthquake struck 10 km NNE of Kettleman City, California, at a depth of 15.2 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 3.66 ml earthquake occurred on July 4, 2026, at 12:01:09 UTC (1785849669450 ms). The event was located 10 km NNE of Kettleman City, CA, with a reviewed status from the USGS.
Location Details
The epicenter was at coordinates 36.0923°N, 119.9297°W, approximately 10 km north-northeast of Kettleman City. The depth of 15.21 km classifies it as shallow (<20 km).
Impact Assessment
No felt reports were recorded. There was no tsunami advisory (tsunami field: 0) and no alert level assigned.
What You Should Know
This was a minor earthquake (M 2.5-3.9 range) that is often felt but rarely causes damage. Residents in the area should follow standard earthquake safety practices such as drop, cover, and hold on during shaking.
Source
USGS Event Page - Data from USGS.
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 (869 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.