Magnitude 2.8 earthquake strikes near Katanning, Western Australia, Australia

A very shallow magnitude 2.8 earthquake was reported late at night near Katanning, Western Australia, Australia.
According to Geoscience Australia (GeoAu), the quake hit on Tuesday, March 3rd, 2026, at 11:56 pm local time at a very shallow depth of 1.7 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.
A second report was later issued by the citizen-seismograph network of RaspberryShake, which listed it as a magnitude 2.8 earthquake as well. A third agency, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), reported the same quake at magnitude 2.8.
Towns or cities near the epicenter where the quake might have been felt as very weak shaking include Pallinup (pop. 78) located 7 miles from the epicenter, Gnowangerup (pop. 590) 10 miles away, and Jackitup (pop. 60) 11 miles away. In Broomehill (pop. 380, 17 miles away), Tambellup (pop. 370, 23 miles away), and Katanning (pop. 3,700, 23 miles away), the quake was probably not felt.

Earthquake data:
Date & time: Mar 3, 2026 11:56 pm (GMT +8) local time (3 Mar 2026 15:56 GMT)
Magnitude: 2.8
Depth: 2.73 km
Epicenter latitude / longitude: 33.81°S / 117.93°E (Gnowangerup, Australia)
Primary data source: GeoAu
https://www.volcanodiscovery.com/earthquake/news/296525/Magnitude-28-earthquake-strikes-near-Katanning-Western-Australia-Australia.html