A very shallow magnitude 3.7 earthquake was reported late at night near Hollister, San Benito County, California, USA.According to the United States Geological Survey, the quake hit on Saturday, May 16th, 2026, at 11:28 pm local time at a very shallow depth of 4.3 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.A second report was later issued by the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), which listed it as a magnitude 3.7 earthquake as well.Based on the preliminary seismic data, the quake should not have caused any significant damage, but was probably felt by many people as light vibration in the area of the epicenter. Weak shaking might have been felt in Ridgemark (pop. 3,000) located 1 miles from the epicenter, and Hollister (pop. 37,500) 3 miles away.Other towns or cities near the epicenter where the quake might have been felt as very weak shaking include Gilroy (pop. 53,200) located 17 miles from the epicenter, Prunedale (pop. 17,600) 18 miles away, Salinas (pop. 157,400) 19 miles away, Watsonville (pop. 53,600) 23 miles away, Morgan Hill (pop. 42,900) 27 miles away, and Soledad (pop. 25,000) 27 miles away. In San Jose (pop. 997,400, 47 miles away), the quake was probably not felt.Earthquake data: Date & time: May 16, 2026 11:28 pm (GMT -7) local time (17 May 2026 06:28 GMT)Magnitude: 3.7Depth: 6.91 kmEpicenter latitude / longitude: 36.82°N / 121.35°W (San Benito County, California, United States)Primary data source: USGS