Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 4.6ml
44 km E of Austin, Nevada
Yes. A magnitude 4.6 earthquake was recorded 44 km E of Austin, Nevada, at 9:25 pm PDT on 9 September 2019 (04:25 UTC), 9.1 km deep. 24 people have reported feeling it to USGS.
- When
- Magnitude
- M 4.6 (ml)
- Depth
- 9.1 km below the surface
- Felt
- 24 reports · strongest reported intensity V
- Measured shaking
- intensity V (ShakeMap)
- USGS impact alert
- green
- Nearest
- Eureka County, 54 km NNE
- Nearest mapped fault
- Northern Monitor Valley fault, 12 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 2534 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 149 km (93 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 120 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 5.6 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 1,400× the energy of this one
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 63× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 45× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 4.6 about 120 tons of TNT
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 250× 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 39.5419, -116.5599. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eureka County, NV | 54 km (34 mi) | NNE | earthquakes near Eureka County |
| Lander County, NV | 58 km (36 mi) | NW | earthquakes near Lander County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
55 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 2.8 36 km ESE of Austin, Nevada
- 1.5 36 km E of Austin, Nevada
- 2.0 37 km E of Austin, Nevada
- 2.3 8 km S of Austin, Nevada
- 1.6 44 km W of Eureka, Nevada
- 1.8 37 km E of Austin, Nevada
- 1.6 38 km E of Austin, Nevada
- 1.5 26 km ENE of Austin, Nevada
- 1.5 2 km NNW of Austin, Nevada
- 1.9 20 km NE of Kingston, Nevada
- 2.3 41 km E of Austin, Nevada
- 1.6 39 km E of Austin, Nevada
- 3.3 38 km E of Austin, Nevada
- 3.4 42 km E of Austin, Nevada
- 4.5 45 km E of Austin, 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
- The official USGS event page — the source of record for every value above
- Did you feel it? Report it to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us
- ShakeMap for this event, when USGS has produced one
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.