QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.8ml

Earthquake near Caliente, NV

USGS: 1 km W of Caliente, Nevada

1:53 am PST, Dec 2, 2017 · · 12 km deep · released about 15 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Caliente Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Lincoln County 30 kmWashington County 100 kmIron County 112 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
1:53 am PST on 2 December 2017 ()
Where
in Caliente, NV · earthquakes near Caliente
Magnitude
M 1.8 (ml)
Depth
12 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Lincoln County, 30 km W
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3015 days ago

A magnitude 1.8 earthquake was recorded in Caliente, NV, at 1:53 am PST on 2 December 2017 (09:53 UTC). 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS. This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 15 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,000,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 710,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 63× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.8 about 15 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 4 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.9 38 km ESE of Caliente, Nevada · 39 km ESE of this epicentre
  2. 5.3 36 km SE of Caliente, Nevada · 38 km SE of this epicentre
  3. 5.3 37 km SSW of Caliente, Nevada · 38 km SSW of this epicentre
  4. 5.2 36 km SE of Caliente, Nevada · 38 km SE 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 37.6174, -114.5278. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Lincoln County, NV 30 km (18 mi) W earthquakes near Lincoln County
Washington County, UT 100 km (62 mi) ESE earthquakes near Washington County
Iron County, UT 112 km (70 mi) ENE earthquakes near Iron County
Beaver County, UT 140 km (87 mi) NE earthquakes near Beaver County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.3 19 km E of Alamo, Nevada
  2. 1.8 36 km SSE of Caliente, Nevada
  3. 1.8 Nevada
  4. 1.5 18 km E of Alamo, Nevada
  5. 2.2 6 km WNW of Panaca, Nevada
  6. 1.9 44 km ESE of Alamo, Nevada
  7. 1.5 18 km ENE of Alamo, Nevada
  8. 2.5 37 km W of Veyo, Utah
  9. 1.6 15 km SSW of Caliente, Nevada
  10. 1.7 38 km SSE of Caliente, Nevada
  11. 1.5 44 km SSW of Caliente, Nevada
  12. 1.6 43 km S of Caliente, Nevada
  13. 1.5 17 km E of Alamo, Nevada
  14. 1.6 11 km SE of Panaca, Nevada
  15. 2.5 19 km E of Alamo, 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.