QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 4.5ml

Earthquake near Indian Hills, NV

No earthquake was likely felt in Indian Hills in the 24 hours to 6:28 pm PST (02:28 UTC). The last one was M 2.2, 6 km (4 mi) E, at 9:41 am PST on 2 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Indian Hills

This page: a magnitude 4.5 earthquake was recorded 5 km (3 mi) northeast of Indian Hills, NV, at 6:33 pm PDT on 20 March 2020 (01:33 UTC), 8.4 km deep. 4,857 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 5 km NE of Indian Hills, Nevada

in Carson, NV · 50 km (31 mi) SSE of Reno, NV

6:33 pm PDT, Mar 20, 2020 · · 8.4 km deep · released about 85 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Indian Hills Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Carson City 5 kmDouglas County 25 kmStorey County 41 kmLyon County 48 kmAlpine County 55 kmEl Dorado County 78 kmSierra County 85 kmPlacer County 85 kmNevada County 92 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
6:33 pm PDT on 20 March 2020 ()
Where
5 km (3 mi) northeast of Indian Hills, NV · earthquakes near Indian Hills
Magnitude
M 4.5 (ml)
Depth
8.4 km below the surface
Felt
4,857 reports · strongest reported intensity V
Measured shaking
intensity VI (ShakeMap)
USGS impact alert
green
Nearest
Carson City, 5 km NNW
Nearest mapped fault
East Carson Valley fault, 3 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 703 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 Indian Hills, 5 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: Carson City 6 km, intensity IV · Gardnerville Ranchos 25 km, intensity III · South Lake Tahoe 29 km, intensity III · Tahoe Vista 31 km, intensity III · Sunnyside-Tahoe City 37 km, intensity III · Truckee 45 km, intensity III · Topaz Ranch Estates 46 km, intensity III · Reno 47 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 lists 9 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.1 22 km SSE of Stagecoach, Nevada · 37 km ENE of this epicentre
  2. 6.1 4 km S of Carter Springs, Nevada · 33 km SSE of this epicentre
  3. 6.0 Near Reno, Nevada · 44 km N of this epicentre
  4. 5.5 California-Nevada border region · 48 km ESE of this epicentre
  5. 5.1 10 km SE of South Lake Tahoe, California · 30 km SSW 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 39.1112, -119.7361. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Carson City, NV 5 km (3 mi) NNW earthquakes near Carson City
Douglas County, NV 25 km (16 mi) SSE earthquakes near Douglas County
Storey County, NV 41 km (25 mi) NNE earthquakes near Storey County
Lyon County, NV 48 km (30 mi) ESE earthquakes near Lyon County
Alpine County, CA 55 km (34 mi) S earthquakes near Alpine County
El Dorado County, CA 78 km (48 mi) WSW earthquakes near El Dorado County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.0 3km E of Truckee, CA
  2. 3.0 9km S of Truckee, CA
  3. 1.7 8 km WNW of Carson City, Nevada
  4. 2.2 8km NE of Markleeville, CA
  5. 2.2 15km NNW of Incline Village-Crystal Bay, NV
  6. 1.5 Northern California
  7. 1.9 4 km S of Dayton, Nevada
  8. 2.3 8km NE of Markleeville, CA
  9. 1.5 7 km N of Incline Village, Nevada
  10. 2.2 4 km S of Dayton, Nevada
  11. 2.2 4 km S of Dayton, Nevada
  12. 2.7 4 km S of Dayton, Nevada
  13. 1.6 4 km S of Dayton, Nevada
  14. 1.5 13 km SE of Sparks, Nevada
  15. 2.4 18km E of Markleeville, CA

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.