QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.8ml

Earthquake near Gardnerville Ranchos, NV

No earthquake was likely felt in Gardnerville Ranchos in the 24 hours to 5:54 am PST (13:54 UTC). The last one was M 2.9, 30 km (18 mi) W, at 11:58 pm PDT on 2 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 85 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Gardnerville Ranchos

This page: a magnitude 3.8 earthquake was recorded 43 km (27 mi) south-southeast of Gardnerville Ranchos, NV, at 6:21 pm PDT on 9 July 2021 (01:21 UTC), 2.5 km deep. 21 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 28km SE of Markleeville, CA

6:21 pm PDT, Jul 9, 2021 · · 2.5 km deep · released about 6.6 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Gardnerville Ranchos Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Alpine County 24 kmDouglas County 42 kmLyon County 63 kmTuolumne County 67 kmCarson City 71 kmEl Dorado County 90 kmMono County 91 kmCalaveras County 95 kmAmador County 96 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
6:21 pm PDT on 9 July 2021 ()
Where
43 km (27 mi) south-southeast of Gardnerville Ranchos, NV · earthquakes near Gardnerville Ranchos
Magnitude
M 3.8 (ml)
Depth
2.5 km below the surface
Felt
21 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Measured shaking
intensity IV (ShakeMap)
Nearest
Alpine County, 24 km WNW
Nearest mapped fault
Antelope Valley fault, 4 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 1882 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 80 km (50 mi) from the epicentre. In Gardnerville Ranchos, 43 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: Topaz Ranch Estates 23 km, intensity III · Gardnerville Ranchos 43 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 6.6 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 26,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,100× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 810× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.8 about 6.6 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 14× more

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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 6.0 on 2021-07-08 — about 2,300 times the energy of this one.

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

  1. 6.1 4 km S of Carter Springs, Nevada · 33 km NNW of this epicentre
  2. 5.2 23 km S of Walker, California · 26 km S of this epicentre
  3. 5.1 10 km SE of South Lake Tahoe, California · 48 km NW of this epicentre
  4. 5.1 19 km W of Bridgeport, California · 36 km SSE of this epicentre
  5. 5.1 8 km ESE of Mesa Vista, California · 30 km NNW 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 38.5318, -119.5535. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Alpine County, CA 24 km (15 mi) WNW earthquakes near Alpine County
Douglas County, NV 42 km (26 mi) N earthquakes near Douglas County
Lyon County, NV 63 km (39 mi) NNE earthquakes near Lyon County
Tuolumne County, CA 67 km (42 mi) SSW earthquakes near Tuolumne County
Carson City, NV 71 km (44 mi) NNW earthquakes near Carson City
El Dorado County, CA 90 km (56 mi) WNW earthquakes near El Dorado County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.3 34km ENE of Dardanelle, CA
  2. 2.1 2 km N of Walker, California
  3. 2.2 29km SE of Markleeville, CA
  4. 1.5 6 km W of Walker, California
  5. 1.5 7 km SW of Walker, California
  6. 1.7 7 km SSE of Walker, California
  7. 1.6 3 km NE of Walker, California
  8. 1.6 7 km WSW of Walker, California
  9. 2.3 32km SE of Markleeville, CA
  10. 2.7 28km NW of Bridgeport, CA
  11. 1.6 2 km NW of Walker, California
  12. 1.7 3 km ESE of Coleville, California
  13. 2.4 26km SE of Markleeville, CA
  14. 2.4 8 km SSE of Walker, California
  15. 1.5 3 km W of Walker, 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.