An earthquake of magnitude 3.1 occurred only 3 minutes ago 19 km southeast of Pau, France, the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) reported.The quake hit at a shallow depth of 10. km beneath the epicenter near Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France, late at night on Monday, March 16th, 2026, at 11:48 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 data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their report.Our monitoring service identified a second report from France's Réseau National de Surveillance Sismique (RéNaSS) which listed the quake at magnitude 2.8.Towns or cities near the epicenter where the quake might have been felt as very weak shaking include Asson (pop. 1,800) located 2 km from the epicenter, Nay (pop. 3,500) 3 km away, Coarraze (pop. 2,400) 4 km away, Pau (pop. 82,700) 19 km away, Lourdes (pop. 15,800) 19 km away, Billere (pop. 14,900) 20 km away, Lons (pop. 13,900) 22 km away, and Tarbes (pop. 52,100) 29 km away.Earthquake data: Date & time: Mar 16, 2026 11:48 pm (GMT +1) local time (16 Mar 2026 22:48 GMT)Magnitude: 3.1Depth: 10.00 kmEpicenter latitude / longitude: 43.15°N / 0.27°W (Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France)Primary data source: EMSC