QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 4.2ml

63 km NE of Tonopah, Nevada

Yes. A magnitude 4.2 earthquake was recorded 63 km NE of Tonopah, Nevada, at 2:53 am PDT on 23 May 2019 (09:53 UTC), 15 km deep. 7 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

· 15 km deep · released about 30 tons of TNT

Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Nye County 50 kmEsmeralda County 111 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
Magnitude
M 4.2 (ml)
Depth
15 km below the surface
Felt
7 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Measured shaking
intensity IV (ShakeMap)
USGS impact alert
green
Nearest
Nye County, 50 km SSE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2649 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 112 km (70 mi) from the epicentre. 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 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 5.2 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 5,600× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 250× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 180× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 4.2 about 30 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 63× 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 lists 3 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.2 102 km NNW of Rachel, Nevada · 40 km ENE of this epicentre
  2. 5.0 49 km NNE of Tonopah, Nevada · 42 km WNW of this epicentre
  3. 5.0 74 km E of Tonopah, Nevada · 30 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 38.3960, -116.6339. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Nye County, NV 50 km (31 mi) SSE earthquakes near Nye County
Esmeralda County, NV 111 km (69 mi) SW earthquakes near Esmeralda County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.1 46 km ENE of Tonopah, Nevada
  2. 1.7 50 km NNE of Tonopah, Nevada
  3. 2.1 46 km ENE of Tonopah, Nevada
  4. 1.8 46 km ENE of Tonopah, Nevada
  5. 1.9 47 km ENE of Tonopah, Nevada
  6. 2.9 45 km ENE of Tonopah, Nevada
  7. 4.1 45 km ENE of Tonopah, Nevada
  8. 2.4 45 km E of Tonopah, Nevada
  9. 1.7 91 km ENE of Tonopah, Nevada
  10. 1.8 25 km NNE of Tonopah, Nevada
  11. 1.6 72 km SE of Kingston, Nevada
  12. 1.6 42 km ENE of Tonopah, Nevada
  13. 1.8 69 km NE of Tonopah, Nevada
  14. 1.8 79 km ENE of Tonopah, Nevada
  15. 2.8 80 km ENE of Tonopah, 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.