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M4.2 Earthquake near Nelson, Canada — 17 September 2026

A light earthquake of magnitude 4.2 was recorded near Nelson, Canada on , with an epicentre 37 km east-northeast of Nelson, at a focal depth of 10.0 km. It was the strongest of the 26 earthquakes recorded in Canada in the preceding 30 days.

4.2 Light

Time (UTC): 2026-09-17 12:31:37

Time (your timezone): —

Magnitude: 4.2 (light)

Focal depth: 10.0 km (shallow)

Epicentre: 49.6652, -116.8320

Location: 37 km ENE of Nelson, Canada

Country: Canada

USGS link to NOAA tsunami information: Not linked

Review status: Reviewed

Source: USGS event page

How strong was this earthquake?

Light earthquakes are widely felt near the epicentre and can rattle windows, dishes and hanging objects. Damage is uncommon and usually limited to cracked plaster or fallen loose items.

A magnitude 4.2 earthquake radiates roughly 30 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

The USGS assigns this earthquake a significance score of 313, which is below the USGS threshold of more than 600 for its significant-earthquake list. The ranking combines magnitude with available Did You Feel It responses and PAGER alert level; it is not a direct measurement of damage.

What the magnitude scale actually measures →

When it happened locally

That is about 04:44 local solar time at the epicentre, in the early hours of the morning.

This event was deeper than 73% of the 467 earthquakes recorded in Canada in our catalogue and stronger than 96% of them.

Where was the epicentre?

The epicentre was located at 49.6652, -116.8320 — 37 km east-northeast of Nelson. The closest other recorded event was a magnitude 3.2 earthquake 26 km south of here on 16 May 2026.

The nearest other settlements in our records are Nelson (26 km south), Kimberley (28 km east), Metaline Falls (96 km south-southwest) and Northport (112 km southwest).

Why the 10 km depth matters

At 10 km this was a shallow earthquake. Shallow events release their energy close to the surface, so for a given magnitude they produce noticeably stronger shaking — and more damage — than deeper ones. Roughly three quarters of all earthquakes worldwide occur at shallow depths.

This catalogue does not ingest eyewitness responses, so it cannot confirm where this earthquake was felt. Based on magnitude alone, an event this size is often felt across the surrounding area. Its shallow focus makes stronger surface shaking more likely than for a deeper event of the same magnitude.

Read more on how focal depth changes what you feel →

What does the tsunami information flag mean?

The USGS record does not carry a link to NOAA tsunami information. That field is not an all-clear and does not state whether a tsunami occurred. In this case, a damaging tsunami would be less likely because at M4.2 it falls below the magnitude 6.5 threshold that generally applies before a submarine earthquake displaces enough water to generate a damaging tsunami; it occurred inland rather than beneath the sea floor. For an active coastal alert, use tsunami.gov or your local warning authority.

How earthquakes generate tsunamis, and what the alert levels mean →

Aftershocks and local seismic history

No further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the 1 day since this event.

1 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 4.2 event near Banff on 26 January 2025. This M4.2 event released a comparable amount of energy to that event.

4 earthquakes have been recorded within 100 km of this epicentre in the past year, 1 of them in the past 30 days.

How long aftershock sequences last, and how large they get →

Where this event sits in the record

This earthquake is part of the September 2026 worldwide record, and of earthquakes in Canada during September 2026. Browse the full monthly archive to compare periods.

Nearest recorded earthquakes to this epicentre

Other recent earthquakes in Canada

All recorded earthquakes in Canada →

Other magnitude 4 earthquakes worldwide

All magnitude 4 earthquakes →

Questions about this earthquake

How strong was the earthquake near Nelson?

It measured magnitude 4.2 — a light earthquake. A magnitude 4.2 earthquake radiates roughly 30 tons of TNT equivalent in seismic energy.

How deep was the earthquake near Nelson?

The focus was 10 km below the surface, which counts as shallow.

Was the Nelson earthquake felt at the surface?

At magnitude 4.2 and a focal depth of 10 km, shaking would have been concentrated near the epicentre.

When did the earthquake near Nelson happen?

17 September 2026 at 12:31 UTC.

Was there a tsunami?

No. The USGS record carries no tsunami-information link for this event.

Have there been aftershocks?

No further earthquakes have been recorded within about 150 km of the epicentre in the 1 day since this event.

How often do earthquakes happen near Nelson?

1 earthquakes of magnitude 4 or above have been logged within roughly 200 km of this epicentre in our catalogue. The strongest was a magnitude 4.2 event near Banff on 26 January 2025. This M4.2 event released a comparable amount of energy to that event.