QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.5md

Earthquake near Truckee, CA

No earthquake was likely felt in Truckee in the 24 hours to 3:52 am PST (11:52 UTC). The last one was M 3.3, 49 km (31 mi) S, at 3:00 am PDT on 2 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 532 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Truckee

This page: a magnitude 2.5 earthquake was recorded 16 km (10 mi) west of Truckee, CA, at 3:57 am PDT on 13 May 2020 (10:57 UTC), 3.4 km deep. 10 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 16km W of Truckee, CA

52 km (33 mi) WSW of Reno, NV

3:57 am PDT, May 13, 2020 · · 3.4 km deep · released about 190 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Truckee Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Sierra County 33 kmNevada County 35 kmPlacer County 40 kmCarson City 56 kmEl Dorado County 59 kmStorey County 74 kmDouglas County 79 kmYuba County 84 kmPlumas County 86 km
Distance rings around the epicentre, with the nearest towns at their true direction and later quakes as coloured dots. Not a shaking map — see the USGS ShakeMap for that.
When
3:57 am PDT on 13 May 2020 ()
Where
16 km (10 mi) west of Truckee, CA · earthquakes near Truckee
Magnitude
M 2.5 (md)
Depth
3.4 km below the surface
Felt
10 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Sierra County, 33 km NNW
Nearest mapped fault
Dog Valley fault, 12 km from its surface trace — near is not the same as on
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2293 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 22 km (14 mi) from the epicentre. In Truckee, 16 km away, the estimate is intensity II (weak). Estimated from magnitude, depth and distance with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses; felt reports, where there are any, are the measurement.

Likely felt in: Truckee 16 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 190 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 80,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 57,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 5.1× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.5 about 190 lb of TNT

Energy from the Gutenberg–Richter relation (log10E = 1.5M + 4.8), rounded to two figures; bar length is magnitude, which is already a logarithm of energy. Magnitudes of past earthquakes from the USGS catalogue.

For this area

No earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded within 50 km since our catalogue begins in 2016.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 8 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.0 6 km WNW of Verdi, California · 37 km NE of this epicentre
  2. 5.9 9 km NW of Truckee, California · 14 km NE of this epicentre
  3. 5.6 5 km NE of Loyalton, California · 48 km NNE of this epicentre
  4. 5.3 11 km N of Soda Springs, California · 15 km N of this epicentre
  5. 5.3 1 km NNE of Verdi, Nevada · 42 km NE of this epicentre

Since 2016: the QuakeIndex catalogue (US, M1.5+), built from the USGS FDSN event service. Before 2016: USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900. Distances are between epicentres. This is the record, not a forecast.

Where

Epicentre 39.3010, -120.3688. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Sierra County, CA 33 km (21 mi) NNW earthquakes near Sierra County
Nevada County, CA 35 km (22 mi) W earthquakes near Nevada County
Placer County, CA 40 km (25 mi) SW earthquakes near Placer County
Carson City, NV 56 km (35 mi) ESE earthquakes near Carson City
El Dorado County, CA 59 km (37 mi) SSW earthquakes near El Dorado County
Storey County, NV 74 km (46 mi) ENE earthquakes near Storey County

Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.

Aftershocks so far

52 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.

  1. 1.9 22km SSW of Whitehawk, CA
  2. 2.5 9km SE of Dollar Point, CA
  3. 2.4 9km SE of Dollar Point, CA
  4. 2.1 9km SE of Dollar Point, CA
  5. 2.4 9km SE of Dollar Point, CA
  6. 2.5 9km SE of Dollar Point, CA
  7. 2.9 9km SE of Dollar Point, CA
  8. 2.4 9km SE of Dollar Point, CA
  9. 2.8 9km SE of Dollar Point, CA
  10. 3.7 8km SE of Dollar Point, CA
  11. 1.5 6 km S of Cold Springs, Nevada
  12. 2.6 4km W of Tahoe Vista, CA
  13. 2.0 3km WSW of Whitehawk, CA
  14. 1.5 8 km NE of Truckee, California
  15. 1.6 16 km NNW of Truckee, California

Counted from the QuakeIndex database, which ingests the USGS feed every 30 seconds · as of . QuakeIndex does not forecast aftershocks. When USGS issues an operational aftershock forecast it appears on the USGS event page.

On USGS

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.