Earthquakes medium

M 4.2 - 37 km ENE of Nelson, Canada

Source: USGS · Canada

A magnitude 4.2 earthquake was recorded by USGS near 37 km ENE of Nelson. On the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program scale, M4.2 is classified "Light". Among the 1,740 earthquake reports Areazine has published, this M4.2 event ranks stronger than 49% of them (rank #862 by magnitude).

30 seconds on this earthquake report

Magnitude
M 4.2
USGS class
Light
Location
37 km ENE of Nelson
Archive rank
#862 of 1,740
Source
USGS
Published
September 17, 2026
LIGHT

Sits above 49% of the 1,740 earthquakes in the archive by magnitude; 861 ran stronger.

Record status: USGS's reading at the moment of detection — the agency keeps revising magnitude, aftershock counts, and felt reports on its own event page as more data arrives.

What Happened

A M 4.2 ml earthquake struck 37 km ENE of Nelson, Canada, on 2026-09-17 at 12:31:37 UTC. The event had a depth of 10 km.

Location Details

The earthquake was located at coordinates 49.6652 latitude, -116.8318 longitude. The depth of 10 km is classified as shallow (less than 20 km).

Impact Assessment

The earthquake was felt by 20 people, with a maximum reported intensity (CDI) of 3.6 and instrumental intensity (MMI) of 4.093. The alert level was green. No tsunami was generated (tsunami advisory status: 0).

What You Should Know

This was a light earthquake. Such events are often felt but rarely cause damage. Minor aftershocks are possible.

Source

https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us7000ti15 (USGS)

Original source: USGS Official Notice ↗

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Elsewhere in the country: 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 (751 characters here).

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Similar severity timing

Same severity (medium) notices issued closest in time to September 17, 2026.

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Questions & Answers

Questions readers often have about this USGS earthquake report.

What was the magnitude of this event? ▾
A magnitude 4.2 earthquake occurred 37 km ENE of Nelson, Canada, at a depth of 10 km.
How should a magnitude 4.2 ("Light") event be understood? ▾
The USGS classifies M4.2 as "Light" on its Earthquake Hazards Program scale. Events in this range are often felt near the epicenter and can cause minor damage to vulnerable structures, though widespread damage is uncommon.
Where does this event rank against Areazine's other recorded earthquakes? ▾
This is the #862 strongest of the 1,740 earthquake reports in Areazine's archive by magnitude, stronger than 49% of them and weaker than 861 others.
Was Nelson likely to feel this earthquake? ▾
This event was centered 37 km ENE of Nelson. Shaking intensity falls off sharply with distance from the epicenter and depends on depth and local geology, so check the USGS "Did You Feel It?" report for this event for real felt-shaking data rather than assuming from magnitude and distance alone.

Source data

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AirNow (EPA / NOAA)

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National Weather Service

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CDC Air Quality & Health

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