QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.9md

40 km S of Qualeys Camp, NV

Yes. A magnitude 2.9 earthquake was recorded 40 km S of Qualeys Camp, NV, at 3:26 pm PDT on 11 September 2025 (22:26 UTC), 13 km deep. 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

· 13 km deep · released about 630 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Mono County 30 kmMineral County 64 kmEsmeralda County 82 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
Magnitude
M 2.9 (md)
Depth
13 km below the surface
Felt
2 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Mono County, 30 km W
Nearest mapped fault
White Mountains fault, 6 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 345 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 28 km (17 mi) from the epicentre. 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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 630 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 24,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 17,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 1.5× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.9 about 630 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 5.2 on 2020-04-11 — about 3,500 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 49 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.4 The 1986 Chalfant Valley, California Earthquake · 46 km S of this epicentre
  2. 6.3 The 1934 Excelsior Mountains, Nevada Earthquake · 40 km NNE of this epicentre
  3. 6.1 Near Tonopah Junction, Nevada · 48 km E of this epicentre
  4. 6.1 11 km WNW of Aspen Springs, California · 47 km SSW of this epicentre
  5. 6.1 8 km W of Aspen Springs, California · 49 km SSW 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 37.9447, -118.5377. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Mono County, CA 30 km (19 mi) W earthquakes near Mono County
Mineral County, NV 64 km (40 mi) N earthquakes near Mineral County
Esmeralda County, NV 82 km (51 mi) ESE earthquakes near Esmeralda County
Lyon County, NV 133 km (83 mi) NNW earthquakes near Lyon County
Alpine County, CA 133 km (83 mi) NW earthquakes near Alpine County
Madera County, CA 134 km (84 mi) SW earthquakes near Madera County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.8 24 km SSW of Mina, Nevada
  2. 1.5 9 km E of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  3. 2.3 28 km SE of Bodie, CA
  4. 1.8 41 km S of Qualeys Camp, NV
  5. 2.4 4 km SW of Toms Place, CA
  6. 2.3 37 km S of Qualeys Camp, NV
  7. 2.5 41 km S of Qualeys Camp, NV
  8. 2.1 41 km S of Qualeys Camp, NV
  9. 1.5 17 km S of Hawthorne, Nevada
  10. 1.8 27 km SE of Bodie, CA
  11. 1.8 27 km NE of Benton, California
  12. 1.8 14 km ESE of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  13. 1.9 14 km ESE of Mammoth Lakes, CA
  14. 1.6 21 km SSW of Mina, Nevada
  15. 1.6 12 km E of Mammoth Lakes, CA

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.