In the night of Thursday February 5th, 2026, a shallow M4.7 earthquake hit in the North Pacific Ocean 77 miles from Eureka, The United States. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 160 thousand people.
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Earthquake Summary
This earthquake hit under water in the North Pacific Ocean, 80 miles (129 km) off the coast of The United States, 77 miles west-southwest of Eureka in California. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 6 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.
| Date and Time: | Feb 5, 2026 04:49AM (Los Angeles Time) - Feb 5, 2026 12:49 Universal Time. |
|---|---|
| Location: | 77 mi WSW of Eureka, California, The United States. Coordinates 40°24'19"N 125°32'17"W. |
| Map: |  Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps. |
| Magnitude: | MAG 4.7 Detected by 121 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.05 . |
| Depth: | 6 mi (10 km) A very shallow depth. |
| Max. Intensity: | III
Weak On the Modified Mercalli Scale. |
| Tsunami Risk: | Low tsunami risk Earthquakes under MAG-6.5 do not usually cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here. |
Minimal impact predicted
Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.
The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.
Roughly 160 thousand people exposed to shaking
An estimated 160 thousand have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.
Weak shaking and probably no damage may have been experienced by an estimated 42,770 people. At III, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. Intensity level II was experienced by the majority of people (around 110 thousand). In their region, very weak shaking and no damage can be expected.
| People | MMI Level | Shaking | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 71,720 | I |
Not noticable | None |
| 115,000 | II |
Very weak | None |
| 42,770 | III |
Weak | Probably none |
| 0 | IV |
Light | Likely none |
| 0 | V |
Moderate | Very light |
| 0 | VI |
Strong | Light |
| 0 | VII |
Very Strong | Moderate |
| 0 | VIII |
Severe | Moderate to heavy |
| 0 | IX |
Violent | Heavy |
| 0 | X |
Extreme | Very heavy |
Nearby towns and cities
This earthquake may have been felt in The United States . Eureka in California, The United States is the nearest significant place from the epicenter. The earthquake occurred 77 miles (124 km) west-southwest of Eureka. The intensity of shaking and damage in Eureka is estimated to be around level II on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (very weak shaking, no damage).
The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake. Where available, the estimated intensity on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale in each place is included. Places where this information is omitted likely experienced little impact.
Overview of nearby places
| Distance | Place | Intensity (MMI) |
|---|---|---|
| 77 mi (124 km) ENE from epicenter |
Eureka California, The United States. |
II
Weak |
| 83 mi (133 km) ENE from epicenter |
Arcata California, The United States. |
II
Weak |
| 83 mi (134 km) ENE from epicenter |
Bayside California, The United States. |
II
Weak |
| 84 mi (135 km) ENE from epicenter |
McKinleyville California, The United States. |
II
Weak |
| 151 mi (243 km) SE from epicenter |
Ukiah California, The United States. |
I
Not felt |
| 166 mi (267 km) E from epicenter |
Redding California, The United States. |
|
| 181 mi (292 km) NE from epicenter |
Grants Pass Oregon, The United States. |
|
| 185 mi (297 km) ESE from epicenter |
Clearlake California, The United States. |
Earthquake Intensity Map
The maximum intensity (MMI Scale) caused by this earthquake is III. The map below shows in which areas this earthquake was the most and least impactful. It is based on data from the US Geographic Survey.
Risk of aftershocks?
We have not yet detected any foreshocks or aftershocks (MAG-2.5 or higher) within 100km (62 mi) of this earthquake.
The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.
In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major earthquake.
Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).Earthquakes like this happen often in the region
Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since September 9th, 2025, when a 5.1 magnitude earthquake hit 151 mi (243 km) further north-northwest. An even stronger magnitude 7 earthquake struck on December 5th, 2024.
In total, 51 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.7 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 2 months.
Low tsunami risk
Based on early data it appears this earthquake was not strong enough (lower than MAG-6.5) to be likely to cause destructive tsunami's. However this earthquake appeared to have hit at a shallow depth under sea, so stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.
Tsunami Risk Factors
| Factor | Under Sea? | MAG-6.5 or stronger? | Shallow depth? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explanation | Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami. | Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's. |
Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor. |
| This Earthquake | This earthquake appears to have struck under the sea. | Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 4.7. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami. |
This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 6 mi (10 km). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami. |
Sources
Last updated 06/02/26 22:48 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.
- US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake nc75308927
- European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260205_0000185
- Geonames.org: World Cities Database
- Google Maps: Static API
- Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database
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