QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.9ml

Earthquake near Fallon, NV

No earthquake was likely felt in Fallon in the 24 hours to 8:17 am PST (16:17 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 2.9 earthquake was recorded 46 km (28 mi) south-southeast of Fallon, NV, at 8:35 am PDT on 1 May 2019 (15:35 UTC), 5.2 km deep.

USGS: 22 km NE of Schurz, Nevada

8:35 am PDT, May 1, 2019 · · 5.2 km deep · released about 680 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Fallon Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Lyon County 51 kmChurchill County 59 kmMineral County 65 kmStorey County 88 kmDouglas County 89 kmCarson City 98 kmAlpine County 115 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
8:35 am PDT on 1 May 2019 ()
Where
46 km (28 mi) south-southeast of Fallon, NV · earthquakes near Fallon
Magnitude
M 2.9 (ml)
Depth
5.2 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Lyon County, 51 km W
Nearest mapped fault
Wassuk Range fault, 24 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 2668 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 31 km (19 mi) from the epicentre. In Fallon, 46 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 680 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 22,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 16,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 1.4× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.9 about 680 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 21 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.5 17 km ESE of Fallon Station, Nevada · 34 km NNE of this epicentre
  2. 6.2 The 1954 Rainbow Mountain, Nevada Earthquake · 37 km N of this epicentre
  3. 5.9 21 km SSE of Fallon Station, Nevada · 18 km N of this epicentre
  4. 5.8 48 km NNW of Gabbs, Nevada · 47 km ENE of this epicentre
  5. 5.7 16 km E of Fallon Station, Nevada · 38 km N 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 39.0845, -118.6099. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Lyon County, NV 51 km (32 mi) W earthquakes near Lyon County
Churchill County, NV 59 km (36 mi) NNE earthquakes near Churchill County
Mineral County, NV 65 km (41 mi) SSE earthquakes near Mineral County
Storey County, NV 88 km (55 mi) WNW earthquakes near Storey County
Douglas County, NV 89 km (55 mi) WSW earthquakes near Douglas County
Carson City, NV 98 km (61 mi) W earthquakes near Carson City

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.5 28 km NW of Gabbs, Nevada
  2. 1.7 7 km NW of Walker Lake, Nevada
  3. 1.6 17 km NNE of Hawthorne, Nevada
  4. 2.0 28 km ESE of Schurz, Nevada
  5. 2.2 34 km ENE of Schurz, Nevada
  6. 1.5 38 km ENE of Schurz, Nevada
  7. 1.8 32 km SE of Fallon Station, Nevada
  8. 1.7 4 km NE of Schurz, Nevada
  9. 1.6 16 km WSW of Schurz, Nevada
  10. 2.3 0 km NNW of Schurz, Nevada
  11. 1.5 34 km NW of Gabbs, Nevada
  12. 2.3 30 km W of Gabbs, Nevada
  13. 1.5 32 km WNW of Gabbs, Nevada
  14. 1.8 34 km NNW of Gabbs, Nevada
  15. 1.8 15 km NNE of Hawthorne, 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.