QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.5ml

Earthquake near Elko, NV

USGS: 5 km SSW of Elko, Nevada

3:38 am PDT, Apr 21, 2017 · · 17 km deep · released about 170 lb of TNT

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10 km30 km60 km120 km N Elko County 54 kmEureka 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
3:38 am PDT on 21 April 2017 ()
Where
6 km (4 mi) SSW of Elko, NV · earthquakes near Elko
Magnitude
M 2.5 (ml)
Depth
17 km below the surface
Felt
2 reports · strongest reported intensity I
Nearest
Elko County, 54 km NE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3014 days ago

A magnitude 2.5 earthquake was recorded 6 km (4 mi) SSW of Elko, NV, at 3:38 am PDT on 21 April 2017 (10:38 UTC). 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS. This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Spring Creek, Carlin.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 170 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 89,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 63,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 5.6× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.5 about 170 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 one earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.0 Near Elko, Nevada · 7 km ENE 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 40.7810, -115.7844. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Elko County, NV 54 km (34 mi) NE earthquakes near Elko County
Eureka County, NV 98 km (61 mi) SSW earthquakes near Eureka County
Lander County, NV 145 km (90 mi) SW earthquakes near Lander 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. 2.1 4 km E of Elko, Nevada
  2. 1.6 9 km SSW of Carlin, Nevada
  3. 2.7 22 km SW of Spring Creek, Nevada
  4. 1.9 15 km ESE of Carlin, Nevada
  5. 2.1 15 km ESE of Carlin, Nevada
  6. 1.7 9 km SSW of Elko, Nevada
  7. 2.1 15 km ENE of Carlin, Nevada
  8. 1.9 13 km E of Carlin, Nevada
  9. 3.3 15 km SE of Carlin, Nevada
  10. 2.0 10 km S of Carlin, Nevada
  11. 1.9 13 km NE of Carlin, Nevada
  12. 3.3 28 km S of Carlin, Nevada
  13. 2.4 12 km SE of Carlin, Nevada
  14. 1.5 35 km NW of Osino, Nevada
  15. 1.6 8 km SSE of Carlin, Nevada

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.