QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0ml

Earthquake near Fallon, NV

No earthquake was likely felt in Fallon in the 24 hours to 3:44 pm PST (23:44 UTC). The last one was M 2.6, 24 km (15 mi) SW, at 12:51 am PDT on 22 August 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Fallon

This page: a magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded 48 km (30 mi) south of Fallon, NV, at 12:13 am PST on 27 December 2017 (08:13 UTC), 2.8 km deep. 4 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 10 km N of Schurz, Nevada

12:13 am PST, Dec 27, 2017 · · 2.8 km deep · released about 30 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Fallon Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Lyon County 33 kmMineral County 68 kmDouglas County 70 kmChurchill County 73 kmStorey County 75 kmCarson City 81 kmAlpine County 97 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
12:13 am PST on 27 December 2017 ()
Where
48 km (30 mi) south of Fallon, NV · earthquakes near Fallon
Magnitude
M 2.0 (ml)
Depth
2.8 km below the surface
Felt
4 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Lyon County, 33 km W
Nearest mapped fault
Wassuk Range 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 1558 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 16 km (10 mi) from the epicentre. In Fallon, 48 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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 30 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 500,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 350,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 32× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 30 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 4.5 on 2016-07-07 — about 5,600 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 15 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.5 17 km ESE of Fallon Station, Nevada · 45 km NE of this epicentre
  2. 6.2 The 1954 Rainbow Mountain, Nevada Earthquake · 47 km NNE of this epicentre
  3. 6.1 22 km SSE of Stagecoach, Nevada · 46 km WNW of this epicentre
  4. 5.9 21 km SSE of Fallon Station, Nevada · 29 km NE of this epicentre
  5. 5.7 16 km E of Fallon Station, Nevada · 49 km NNE 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 39.0427, -118.8163. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Lyon County, NV 33 km (21 mi) W earthquakes near Lyon County
Mineral County, NV 68 km (42 mi) SSE earthquakes near Mineral County
Douglas County, NV 70 km (44 mi) WSW earthquakes near Douglas County
Churchill County, NV 73 km (45 mi) NE earthquakes near Churchill County
Storey County, NV 75 km (47 mi) NW earthquakes near Storey County
Carson City, NV 81 km (51 mi) W earthquakes near Carson City

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.4 9 km NE of Schurz, Nevada
  2. 1.9 32 km W of Gabbs, Nevada
  3. 1.8 26 km SE of Fallon Station, Nevada
  4. 1.6 18 km ENE of Walker Lake, Nevada
  5. 1.5 9 km N of Schurz, Nevada
  6. 2.7 15 km NNE of Hawthorne, Nevada
  7. 1.6 22 km NE of Schurz, Nevada
  8. 1.8 22 km NE of Schurz, Nevada
  9. 2.7 23 km NE of Schurz, Nevada
  10. 2.3 23 km NE of Schurz, Nevada
  11. 2.9 22 km NE of Schurz, Nevada
  12. 1.8 California-Nevada border region
  13. 3.6 12 km NW of Schurz, Nevada
  14. 2.8 23 km NE of Hawthorne, Nevada
  15. 2.4 16 km NE of Walker Lake, 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.