M3.6 Earthquake 44 km ENE of Nelson, Canada — September 17, 2026
2026-09-17 12:31:37 UTC (2026-09-17) · approx. 4:31 AM UTC-8 local
Felt by 108 people across surrounding communities.
On September 17, 2026 at 12:31 UTC, a magnitude 3.6 shallow crustal earthquake struck 44 km ENE of Nelson, Canada, at a depth of 14.3 km and coordinates 49.6107°, -116.7009°. The earthquake was reported felt by 108 peopleacross surrounding communities, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 3.6 (light). The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. This earthquake was detected by 40 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 243, placing it among routine seismic activity. The nearest populated place is Nelson (population 10,664).
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 3.6 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 3.8 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 184 m — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
Nearest Populated Places
ShakeMap — predicted shaking intensity
Modeled ground-motion intensity contoured on the Modified Mercalli scale (MMI). Computed by the USGS from the moment-tensor solution and regional ground-motion prediction equations.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 108 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
Population exposure (USGS PAGER)
Estimated population that experienced each level of shaking. Based on the USGS PAGER rapid impact assessment, which combines ShakeMap output with global population grids.
| Shaking intensity (MMI) | Description | Population exposed |
|---|---|---|
| MMI 3 | weak | 18,903 |
| MMI 4 | light | 292 |
Earthquake Details
-116.7009°E
Technical Information
Nearby Earthquakes (Last 7 Days)
Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 3.6 earthquake near Nelson, Canada?
The magnitude 3.6 earthquake that struck 44 km ENE of Nelson, Canada on September 17, 2026 at 12:31 UTC had a depth of 14.3 km. It was felt by 108 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 3.6 (light). For context, this was a minor earthquake typically detected only by instruments.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 49.6107°, -116.7009°, which is 44 km ENE of Nelson, Canada. The nearest populated place is Nelson (population 10,664).
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 3.6 earthquakes can continue for several days and gradually diminish over time.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: us7000ti15). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2026, September 17, 2026). M3.6 Earthquake 44 km ENE of Nelson, Canada — September 17, 2026. Retrieved October 15, 2026 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/us7000ti15/