QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.1ml

Earthquake near Reno, NV

No earthquake was likely felt in Reno in the 24 hours to 6:39 am PST (14:39 UTC). The last one was M 2.3, 7 km (4 mi) SW, at 11:07 pm PDT on 10 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 7 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Reno

This page: a magnitude 2.1 earthquake was recorded 27 km (16 mi) south-southwest of Reno, NV, at 2:23 pm PDT on 29 July 2017 (21:23 UTC), 10 km deep.

USGS: 8 km SSE of Floriston, California

27 km (17 mi) SSW of Reno, NV

2:23 pm PDT, Jul 29, 2017 · · 10 km deep · released about 43 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Reno Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Carson City 28 kmStorey County 41 kmSierra County 54 kmDouglas County 57 kmNevada County 68 kmPlacer County 71 kmLyon County 75 kmEl Dorado County 77 kmAlpine County 80 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
2:23 pm PDT on 29 July 2017 ()
Where
27 km (16 mi) south-southwest of Reno, NV · earthquakes near Reno
Magnitude
M 2.1 (ml)
Depth
10 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Carson City, 28 km SE
Nearest mapped fault
North Tahoe fault, 2 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 3056 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 14 km (9 mi) from the epicentre. In Reno, 27 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: Tahoe Vista 12 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 43 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.1 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 350,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 250,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 22× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.1 about 43 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 9 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.0 Near Reno, Nevada · 25 km NE of this epicentre
  2. 6.0 6 km WNW of Verdi, California · 26 km NNW of this epicentre
  3. 5.9 9 km NW of Truckee, California · 25 km WNW of this epicentre
  4. 5.6 5 km NE of Loyalton, California · 47 km NNW of this epicentre
  5. 5.3 11 km N of Soda Springs, California · 38 km WNW 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 39.3275, -119.9775. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Carson City, NV 28 km (17 mi) SE earthquakes near Carson City
Storey County, NV 41 km (25 mi) ENE earthquakes near Storey County
Sierra County, CA 54 km (34 mi) WNW earthquakes near Sierra County
Douglas County, NV 57 km (35 mi) SE earthquakes near Douglas County
Nevada County, CA 68 km (42 mi) W earthquakes near Nevada County
Placer County, CA 71 km (44 mi) WSW earthquakes near Placer County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.0 13 km ESE of Sparks, Nevada
  2. 1.5 5 km S of Floriston, California
  3. 1.5 6 km W of Dayton, Nevada
  4. 2.2 12km N of Tahoe Vista, CA
  5. 2.9 12km N of Tahoe Vista, CA
  6. 1.6 12km N of Kings Beach, CA
  7. 2.3 12km N of Kings Beach, CA
  8. 2.1 12km N of Kings Beach, CA
  9. 2.1 12km NNE of Tahoe Vista, CA
  10. 2.0 21km NW of Truckee, CA
  11. 1.5 11 km NW of Virginia City, Nevada
  12. 1.5 11 km NW of Virginia City, Nevada
  13. 1.8 12 km SE of Virginia City, NV
  14. 2.8 12 km NW of Virginia City, Nevada
  15. 1.6 12 km NW of Virginia City, 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.