QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 4.5ml

Earthquake near Sandy Valley, NV

No earthquake was likely felt in Sandy Valley in the 24 hours to 2:09 am PST (10:09 UTC). The last one was M 3.6, 35 km (22 mi) S, at 10:28 am PST on 3 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 4 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Sandy Valley

This page: a magnitude 4.5 earthquake was recorded 16 km (10 mi) west-northwest of Sandy Valley, NV, at 8:17 am PDT on 5 July 2018 (15:17 UTC), 8.6 km deep. 133 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 15 km WNW of Sandy Valley, Nevada

59 km (37 mi) SW of Las Vegas, NV

8:17 am PDT, Jul 5, 2018 · · 8.6 km deep · released about 85 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Sandy Valley Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Clark County 77 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
8:17 am PDT on 5 July 2018 ()
Where
16 km (10 mi) west-northwest of Sandy Valley, NV · earthquakes near Sandy Valley
Magnitude
M 4.5 (ml)
Depth
8.6 km below the surface
Felt
133 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Measured shaking
intensity IV (ShakeMap)
USGS impact alert
green
Nearest
Clark County, 77 km ENE
Nearest mapped fault
Pahrump fault, 23 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 2688 days ago

This was a light earthquake. It is usually felt clearly nearby and can rattle windows and dishes, but damage is uncommon.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 139 km (86 mi) from the epicentre. In Sandy Valley, 16 km away, the estimate is intensity IV (light). 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: Sandy Valley 16 km, intensity IV · Pahrump 40 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 85 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 5.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 2,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 89× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 63× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 4.5 about 85 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 180× more

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 (31 mi) since our catalogue begins in 2016. No other earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded this close in that time.

Before 2016, the USGS record since 1900 lists no earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km.

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 35.8945, -115.7758. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Clark County, NV 77 km (48 mi) ENE earthquakes near Clark County
San Bernardino County, CA 121 km (75 mi) SSW earthquakes near San Bernardino County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.1 17km ENE of Shoshone, CA
  2. 2.1 11 km S of Enterprise, Nevada
  3. 1.5 17 km S of Goodsprings, Nevada
  4. 2.3 18km SW of Primm, NV
  5. 1.9 25km E of Tecopa, CA
  6. 2.2 18km SW of Primm, NV
  7. 2.1 29km NNE of Baker, CA
  8. 2.1 37 km SSE of Sandy Valley, Nevada
  9. 2.3 14 km WNW of Sandy Valley, Nevada
  10. 1.7 17km ENE of Shoshone, CA
  11. 2.5 14 km NW of Sandy Valley, Nevada
  12. 1.9 18km ENE of Shoshone, CA
  13. 1.5 36 km S of Sandy Valley, Nevada
  14. 1.5 12 km WNW of Sandy Valley, Nevada
  15. 2.1 17km SW of Primm, NV

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.