An earthquake of magnitude 2.8 occurred late at night on Monday, March 23rd, 2026, at 11:09 pm local time near Katanning, Western Australia, Australia, as reported by Geoscience Australia (GeoAu).According to preliminary data, the quake was located at a very shallow depth of 3.1 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.Towns or cities near the epicenter where the quake might have been felt as very weak shaking include Pallinup (pop. 78) located 8 miles from the epicenter, Jackitup (pop. 60) 10 miles away, and Gnowangerup (pop. 590) 10 miles away. In Broomehill (pop. 380, 19 miles away), Nyabing (pop. 290, 20 miles away), and Katanning (pop. 3,700, 24 miles away), the quake was probably not felt.Earthquake data: Date & time: Mar 23, 2026 11:09 pm (GMT +8) local time (23 Mar 2026 15:09 GMT)Magnitude: 2.8Depth: 5.00 kmEpicenter latitude / longitude: 33.8°S / 117.96°E (Gnowangerup, Australia)Primary data source: GeoAu