A magnitude-3.7 earthquake occurred early Friday morning, October 2nd, 2026, at 3:00 am local time near South Lake Tahoe, El Dorado County, California, USA, according to the United States Geological Survey.According to preliminary data, the quake was located at a very shallow depth of 4.4 miles. Shallow earthquakes are felt more strongly than deeper ones because 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 the data and refine their calculations, or as other agencies issue their reports.Our monitoring service identified a second report from the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), which also listed the quake at magnitude 3.7.Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake should not have caused any significant damage but was probably felt by many people as light vibrations in the area of the epicenter. Weak shaking might have been felt in Twin Bridges (pop. 23), located 6 miles from the epicenter; South Lake Tahoe (pop. 21,700), 6 miles away; Kingsbury (pop. 2,200), 11 miles away; Gardnerville (pop. 5,700), 18 miles away; Gardnerville (pop. 5,700), 18 miles away; and Gardnerville Ranchos (pop. 11,300), 18 miles away.Other towns or cities near the epicenter where the quake might have been felt as very weak shaking include Carson City (pop. 58,600), located 25 miles from the epicenter; Pollock Pines (pop. 6,900), 28 miles away; and Truckee (pop. 16,300), 31 miles away.Earthquake data: Date & time: Oct 2, 2026 03:00 am (GMT -7) local time (2 Oct 2026 10:00 GMT)Magnitude: 3.7Hypocenter depth: 7.01 kmEpicenter coordinates: 38.89°N / 120.08°W (El Dorado County, California, United States)Primary data source: USGS