Magnitude 3.6 earthquake strikes near Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, California, USA

A very shallow magnitude 3.6 earthquake was reported early morning near Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, California, USA.
According to the United States Geological Survey, the quake hit on Sunday, March 8th, 2026, at 3:31 am local time at a very shallow depth of 2.2 miles. Shallow earthquakes are felt more strongly than deeper ones as they are closer to the surface. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report.
Our monitoring service identified a second report from The Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) which listed the quake at magnitude 3.5. A third agency, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), reported the same quake at magnitude 3.6.
Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake should not have caused any significant damage, but was probably felt by many people as light vibration in the area of the epicenter.
Weak shaking might have been felt in Cobb (pop. 1,800) located 5 miles from the epicenter.
Other towns or cities near the epicenter where the quake might have been felt as very weak shaking include Healdsburg (pop. 11,700) located 13 miles from the epicenter, Clearlake (pop. 15,200) 15 miles away, Windsor (pop. 27,500) 17 miles away, Santa Rosa (pop. 178,100) 25 miles away, Rohnert Park (pop. 42,400) 32 miles away, Ukiah (pop. 15,900) 32 miles away, and Agua Caliente (pop. 27,100) 37 miles away. In Petaluma (pop. 60,400, 40 miles away), the quake was probably not felt.


Earthquake data:
Date & time: Mar 8, 2026 03:31 am (GMT -7) local time (8 Mar 2026 10:31 GMT)
Magnitude: 3.6
Depth: 3.53 km
Epicenter latitude / longitude: 38.79°N / 122.82°W (Sonoma County, California, United States)
Primary data source: USGS
https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/earthquake/news/297048/Magnitude-36-earthquake-strikes-near-Santa-Rosa-Sonoma-County-California-USA.html