Five earthquakes were recorded across the western United States on Saturday, August 1, 2026, according to real-time data from the US Geological Survey (USGS). The events struck California, Nevada, and Alaska, with magnitudes ranging from 2.5 to 3.3.
California leads the day’s activity
The largest quake of the day registered a magnitude of 3.3 and struck at 11:51 a.m. (UTC-05:00), with its epicenter 17 kilometers east of Desert Hot Springs, California. The USGS recorded the tremor at a depth of 7.3 kilometers, at coordinates 33.979 degrees north and 116.321 degrees west.
An earlier tremor hit California at 6:50 a.m. (UTC-05:00), registering a magnitude of 2.7. That quake was centered 8 kilometers east-southeast of Cloverdale, California, at a depth of 4.1 kilometers.
Nevada and Alaska also shook
A magnitude 2.6 earthquake was recorded in Nevada at 11:31 a.m. (UTC-05:00), with its epicenter 32 kilometers southeast of Mina. The USGS placed the depth at 11.5 kilometers.
Two separate tremors struck Alaska within minutes of each other at around 6:37 a.m. (UTC-05:00). Both registered a magnitude of 2.5. The first was centered 37 kilometers southwest of Skwentna at a depth of 95.6 kilometers, while the second struck 78 kilometers north of Chickaloon at a depth of 13.6 kilometers.
Monitoring and early warning systems
The USGS monitors seismic activity across the United States in real time, providing data on the time, magnitude, depth, and location of each event. The agency’s Latest Earthquakes tool and the ShakeAlert early warning system offer interactive maps and automatic notifications that can alert residents seconds before shaking begins, according to the USGS.
The states most prone to seismic activity, according to USGS data, include California, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, and Washington, due to the movement of tectonic faults including the San Andreas Fault.
What the magnitude figures mean
According to USGS guidance, earthquakes above magnitude 5.0 can cause moderate damage, while those of 6.0 or greater pose elevated risk to urban areas and older structures. Magnitude is a logarithmic measure, meaning each whole-number increase on the scale represents roughly 32 times more energy released at the source.
Updated seismic data for the United States is available through the USGS official portal at earthquake.usgs.gov.
