Earthquakes in Sierra County, California
The most recent earthquake of M2.5 or more near Sierra County was M 2.7, 1 km N of Lake Davis, CA, 34 km (21 mi) N of the centre of Sierra County, at 8:16 am PST on 10 November 2026. 9 people reported feeling it to USGS. The estimated shaking at the centre of Sierra County was intensity II (weak), felt by some people at rest indoors.
No earthquake of M1.5 or more was recorded within 50 km (31 mi) of the centre of Sierra County in the last 24 hours.
- Last 24 hours
- 0
- Last 7 days
- 1
- Last 30 days
- 1 · an average 30 days here since 2016: 4.3
- Last 12 months
- 54 · largest M 3.4 on 27 April 2026
- Since 2016
- 566 earthquakes of M1.5 or more
- Largest since 2016
- M 4.7 on 6 May 2021, 19km NW of Truckee, CA
- Nearest mapped fault
- Mohawk Valley fault, 8 km from the centre to its surface trace
Latest quake, 24 hours and 7 days: the QuakeIndex database, which reads USGS every 30 seconds, read at ; 30 days and 12 months: the QuakeIndex catalogue, counted to · earthquakes of M1.5 or more within 50 km (31 mi) of the centre of Sierra County · shaking is estimated for the centre with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses
Elevated QuakeIndex 92 / 100
1 quake of M1.5 or larger in the last 7 days within 50 km. Normal for here is 0 to 1 in a week.
Compared against Sierra County, California's own 10 years · USGS catalogue · updated
If you felt one
- Was that an earthquake? — checks what was recorded near you in the last hour
- Report what you felt to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us, and they are what produces the intensity maps
- Expect aftershocks, and be ready to Drop, Cover, and Hold On if you feel one; if you are in a damaged building, go outside and move away from it (Ready.gov, FEMA; what to do during and after an earthquake)
- Near the coast, go inland or to higher ground as soon as strong shaking stops (Ready.gov); official warnings are on Tsunami.gov
- Check the roads — Nevada Explorer — for Reno, Tahoe and the Sierra passes
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings or forecasts. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert and the MyShake app.
The last 30 days
Show these earthquakes on your own site: a free card with this strip and the latest quakes near Sierra County, California, for a local news site, school or neighborhood page.
Live · last 7 days
Latest earthquakes within 50 km
None within 50 km in the latest snapshot we hold; the full 7 days load from USGS as this page opens.
Source USGS · snapshot of
The last 7 days on the map
Open the full map — zoom anywhere, or find your own location →
The centre is 39.577, -120.522, the Census internal point of Sierra County, California from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Activity on this page is measured within 50 km of it — the dashed circle.
Largest on record nearby
The strongest shaking this record implies at the centre of Sierra County, California is intensity IV (light), from the M 4.7 of 2021, 22 km away. At that level most people indoors notice it; dishes and windows rattle.
| Magnitude | When | Where | Shaking here (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| M 4.7 | 19km NW of Truckee, CA · felt by 7,964 | IV · Light | |
| M 4.0 | 13 km SSE of Sierraville, California · felt by 479 | III · Weak | |
| M 3.7 | 13 km S of Sierraville, California · felt by 29 | III · Weak | |
| M 3.7 | 17km NNW of Truckee, CA · felt by 532 | III · Weak | |
| M 3.7 | Nevada · felt by 732 | II · Weak | |
| M 3.4 | 8 km NE of Lake Davis, CA · felt by 33 | II · Weak | |
| M 3.4 | 4 km ENE of East Quincy, CA · felt by 81 | II · Weak | |
| M 3.3 | 9 km NNE of Truckee, CA · felt by 48 | II · Weak |
From the QuakeIndex catalogue, built from the USGS FDSN event service · within 50 km of the centre above. Shaking is an estimate for the centre from magnitude, depth and distance, with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses (Atkinson & Wald, 2007), on the Modified Mercalli scale. Ground conditions change it locally; it is a description of the past, not a hazard rating.
Before 2016
The USGS record from 1900 to 2015 lists 9 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km of the centre of Sierra County, California; the 8 largest:
- 6.0 6 km WNW of Verdi, California · 38 km E of the centre
- 5.9 West of Downieville, California · 42 km WSW of the centre
- 5.9 9 km NW of Truckee, California · 30 km SE of the centre
- 5.6 5 km NE of Loyalton, California · 32 km ENE of the centre
- 5.3 11 km N of Soda Springs, California · 19 km SSE of the centre
- 5.3 1 km NNE of Verdi, Nevada · 47 km E of the centre
- 5.2 3 km N of Blairsden, California · 27 km NNW of the centre
- 5.1 8 km SSW of Kingvale, California · 37 km S of the centre
USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900 to 2015. Epicentres of early earthquakes are estimates. This is the record, not a forecast.
Nearest mapped faults
- Mohawk Valley fault, 8 km from the centre of Sierra County, California to its surface trace
- Dog Valley fault, 34 km from the centre of Sierra County, California to its surface trace
- Polaris fault, 34 km from the centre of Sierra County, California to its surface trace
- Upper Long Valley fault, 41 km from the centre of Sierra County, California to its surface trace
USGS Quaternary Fault and Fold Database, within 50 km. Near is not the same as on, and faults with no surface trace are not in it.
Town pages near Sierra County, California
Portola 26 km · 22 M2.5+ named after it · Truckee 40 km · 27 M2.5+ named after it
Each town page lists every M1.5+ earthquake within 30 km since 2016 and the ones USGS named after it. Town names: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0).
Be ready
Earthquakes cannot be predicted, here or anywhere, so the useful step is the one taken beforehand. The advice below is from the agencies responsible for it.
- Ready.gov: earthquakes (FEMA) — what to do before, during and after, including Drop, Cover, and Hold On
- Build a kit (FEMA) — water, food and supplies for several days; our summary
- USGS: preparedness — the hazard behind the advice, from the agency that records every quake on this page
- The Great ShakeOut — the yearly earthquake drill, with material for homes, schools and workplaces
- ShakeAlert covers Sierra County, California: alerts reach phones through Wireless Emergency Alerts and the MyShake app, seconds before shaking arrives
- Tsunami.gov (NOAA) — the official tsunami warnings for the coast; a quake page here never stands in for one
- California Earthquake Authority — retrofit grants and the state's not-for-profit earthquake insurance