Magnitude 2.6 earthquake — 7 km WNW of Corning, CA

A magnitude 2.6 earthquake struck about seven kilometres west-northwest of Corning, California, in the early hours of Tuesday morning, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The tremor occurred at 4:57 am local time at a depth of roughly 35.5 kilometres beneath the surface. Corning is a small city in Tehama County, in the northern part of California's Central Valley, with a population of around 8,000.

What a magnitude 2.6 feels like

An earthquake of this size is considered minor. People close to the epicentre might have felt a brief shake or rattle — a bit like a lorry rumbling past — but it's unlikely to have caused any damage. Many residents probably slept right through it, though light sleepers near the centre may well have been woken by the jolt.

Quakes at this magnitude happen fairly regularly in California, which sits on several active fault lines. The depth of this one — more than 35 kilometres down — means the shaking at the surface would have been quite gentle, even for those directly above.

No reports of damage

There have been no reports of injuries or damage from the earthquake, which is typical for an event of this size. The USGS continues to monitor the situation, and the data remains under review as more information comes in from seismic stations in the area.

California experiences thousands of small earthquakes each year, most of which go unnoticed by the public. Only a handful grow large enough to cause significant concern or damage.

Were you in the Corning area when this happened? Did you feel the shake, or did you sleep through the whole thing? If you've got family or friends out in northern California, we'd love to hear whether they noticed anything. Drop us a comment below.