QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.9ml

Earthquake near Reno, NV

No earthquake was likely felt in Reno in the 24 hours to 5:25 pm PST (01:25 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 1.9 earthquake was recorded 3 km (2 mi) north-northeast of Reno, NV, at 2:02 pm PST on 9 December 2017 (22:02 UTC), 7.2 km deep. 2 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 3 km NNE of Reno, Nevada

in Reno, NV

2:02 pm PST, Dec 9, 2017 · · 7.2 km deep · released about 21 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Reno Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Storey County 27 kmCarson City 45 kmSierra County 62 kmDouglas County 74 kmLyon County 78 kmNevada County 89 kmPlacer County 97 kmPlumas County 101 kmAlpine County 104 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
2:02 pm PST on 9 December 2017 ()
Where
3 km (2 mi) north-northeast of Reno, NV · earthquakes near Reno
Magnitude
M 1.9 (ml)
Depth
7.2 km below the surface
Felt
2 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Storey County, 27 km ESE
Nearest mapped fault
Mount Rose fault, 14 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 13 km (8 mi) from the epicentre. In Reno, 3 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: Reno 3 km, intensity II · Sparks 4 km, intensity II · Spanish Springs 13 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 21 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 710,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 500,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 45× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.9 about 21 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. 6.4 Near Fernley, Nevada · 38 km E of this epicentre
  2. 6.0 Near Reno, Nevada · 6 km S of this epicentre
  3. 6.0 6 km WNW of Verdi, California · 24 km W of this epicentre
  4. 5.9 9 km NW of Truckee, California · 44 km WSW of this epicentre
  5. 5.6 5 km NE of Loyalton, California · 39 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 39.5537, -119.7958. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Storey County, NV 27 km (17 mi) ESE earthquakes near Storey County
Carson City, NV 45 km (28 mi) S earthquakes near Carson City
Sierra County, CA 62 km (39 mi) W earthquakes near Sierra County
Douglas County, NV 74 km (46 mi) SSE earthquakes near Douglas County
Lyon County, NV 78 km (49 mi) SE earthquakes near Lyon County
Nevada County, CA 89 km (55 mi) WSW earthquakes near Nevada County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.5 4 km ENE of Floriston, California
  2. 3.0 4 km E of Floriston, California
  3. 3.1 4 km ENE of Floriston, California
  4. 1.5 8 km E of Sparks, Nevada
  5. 1.6 11 km NW of Wadsworth, Nevada
  6. 1.6 11 km NW of Wadsworth, Nevada
  7. 1.6 13 km SE of Sparks, Nevada
  8. 2.0 8 km N of Incline Village, Nevada
  9. 1.7 Nevada
  10. 2.0 13 km ESE of Sparks, Nevada
  11. 1.6 5 km WNW of Wadsworth, Nevada
  12. 1.7 6 km WNW of Wadsworth, Nevada
  13. 1.9 6 km WNW of Wadsworth, Nevada
  14. 2.0 9km NNW of Loyalton, CA
  15. 1.7 10 km NNE of Incline Village, 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.