QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.5md

Earthquake near Gardnerville Ranchos, NV

No earthquake was likely felt in Gardnerville Ranchos in the 24 hours to 5:59 am PST (13:59 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 2.5 earthquake was recorded 42 km (26 mi) south-southeast of Gardnerville Ranchos, NV, at 5:42 pm PDT on 27 September 2023 (00:42 UTC), 4.2 km deep. 3 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 5 km NNW of Walker, CA

5:42 pm PDT, Sep 27, 2023 · · 4.2 km deep · released about 150 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Gardnerville Ranchos Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Alpine County 26 kmDouglas County 40 kmLyon County 59 kmCarson City 69 kmTuolumne County 71 kmMono County 90 kmEl Dorado County 92 kmMineral County 95 kmStorey County 98 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
5:42 pm PDT on 27 September 2023 ()
Where
42 km (26 mi) south-southeast of Gardnerville Ranchos, NV · earthquakes near Gardnerville Ranchos
Magnitude
M 2.5 (md)
Depth
4.2 km below the surface
Felt
3 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Alpine County, 26 km WNW
Nearest mapped fault
Antelope Valley fault, under 1 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 1069 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 21 km (13 mi) from the epicentre. In Gardnerville Ranchos, 42 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 20 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 150 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 99,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 70,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 6.2× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.5 about 150 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 6.0 on 2021-07-08 — about 200,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 7 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.1 4 km S of Carter Springs, Nevada · 32 km NNW of this epicentre
  2. 5.2 23 km S of Walker, California · 29 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 · 37 km S of this epicentre
  5. 5.1 8 km ESE of Mesa Vista, California · 30 km NW 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 38.5562, -119.5127. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Alpine County, CA 26 km (16 mi) WNW earthquakes near Alpine County
Douglas County, NV 40 km (25 mi) NNW earthquakes near Douglas County
Lyon County, NV 59 km (36 mi) NNE earthquakes near Lyon County
Carson City, NV 69 km (43 mi) NNW earthquakes near Carson City
Tuolumne County, CA 71 km (44 mi) SSW earthquakes near Tuolumne County
Mono County, CA 90 km (56 mi) SE earthquakes near Mono County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 5 km ESE of Smith, Nevada
  2. 2.0 6 km SW of Walker, CA
  3. 1.5 3 km SW of Coleville, California
  4. 1.6 0 km WSW of Coleville, California
  5. 1.5 4 km SW of Topaz, California
  6. 1.5 2 km NW of Walker, California
  7. 1.7 1 km NNW of Walker, California
  8. 1.7 2 km WSW of Walker, California
  9. 1.5 4 km WSW of Walker, California
  10. 2.8 15 km SSW of Walker, CA
  11. 1.7 6 km E of Smith, Nevada
  12. 1.7 3 km SSW of Coleville, California
  13. 2.0 5 km ESE of Smith, Nevada
  14. 1.5 6 km E of Smith, Nevada
  15. 1.5 2 km SW 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.