Small magnitude 2.9 earthquake strikes near Montpellier, Hérault, Occitanie, France

A magnitude 2.9 earthquake near Montpellier, Hérault, Occitanie, France, was reported just 7 minutes ago by France's Réseau National de Surveillance Sismique (RéNaSS), considered the main national agency monitoring seismic activity in this part of the world. The earthquake occurred at a very shallow depth of 5. km beneath the epicenter around noon on Saturday, October 24th, 2026, at 1:05 pm local time. The exact magnitude, epicenter, and depth of the quake might be revised within the next few hours or minutes as seismologists review the data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their reports.
Weak shaking might have been felt in Pompignan (pop. 710), located 7 km from the epicenter. In Castelnau-le-Lez (pop. 18,000, 25 km away), Montpellier (pop. 248,300, 27 km away), Mauguio (pop. 18,300, 31 km away), Lattes (pop. 17,400, 32 km away), Lunel (pop. 26,600, 33 km away), Ales (pop. 42,400, 38 km away), and Nimes (pop. 148,200, 45 km away), the quake was probably not felt.


Earthquake data:
Date & time: Oct 24, 2026 01:05 pm (GMT +2) local time (24 Oct 2026 11:05 GMT)
Magnitude: 2.9
Hypocenter depth: 5.00 km
Epicenter coordinates: 43.85°N / 3.8°E (Hérault, Occitanie, France)
Primary data source: RENASS
https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/earthquakes/news/387070/Small-magnitude-29-earthquake-strikes-near-Montpellier-Herault-Occitanie-France.html