QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 5.0ml

Earthquake near Tonopah, NV

No earthquake was likely felt in Tonopah in the 24 hours to 5:05 am PST (13:05 UTC). The last one was M 3.8, 55 km (34 mi) W, at 1:52 am PDT on 25 May 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 5 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Tonopah

This page: a magnitude 5.0 earthquake was recorded 47 km (29 mi) west-northwest of Tonopah, NV, at 5:36 am PDT on 20 May 2020 (12:36 UTC), 12 km deep. 47 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 38 km ESE of Mina, Nevada

5:36 am PDT, May 20, 2020 · · 12 km deep · released about 480 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Tonopah Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Esmeralda County 48 kmMineral County 68 kmMono County 104 kmNye County 116 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
5:36 am PDT on 20 May 2020 ()
Where
47 km (29 mi) west-northwest of Tonopah, NV · earthquakes near Tonopah
Magnitude
M 5.0 (ml)
Depth
12 km below the surface
Felt
47 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Measured shaking
intensity V (ShakeMap)
USGS impact alert
green
Nearest
Esmeralda County, 48 km SSE
Nearest mapped fault
Monte Cristo Valley fault, 18 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 2286 days ago

This was a moderate earthquake. Shaking at this size can damage poorly built structures close to the epicentre.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 193 km (120 mi) from the epicentre. In Tonopah, 47 km away, the estimate is intensity III (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.

Likely felt in: Tonopah 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 480 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 6.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 350× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 16× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 11× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 5.0 about 480 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 1,000× 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 since 2016 was M 6.5 on 2020-05-15 — about 180 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 15 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.8 The 1932 Cedar Mountain, Nevada Earthquake · 48 km NNW of this epicentre
  2. 6.1 Near Tonopah Junction, Nevada · 32 km SW of this epicentre
  3. 5.6 37 km N of Dyer, Nevada · 37 km SW of this epicentre
  4. 5.5 Near Tonopah Junction, Nevada · 32 km SW of this epicentre
  5. 5.5 Near Tonopah Junction, Nevada · 32 km SW 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 38.2012, -117.7453. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Esmeralda County, NV 48 km (30 mi) SSE earthquakes near Esmeralda County
Mineral County, NV 68 km (42 mi) WNW earthquakes near Mineral County
Mono County, CA 104 km (65 mi) WSW earthquakes near Mono County
Nye County, NV 116 km (72 mi) ESE earthquakes near Nye County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.8 36 km ESE of Mina, Nevada
  2. 1.6 27 km S of Mina, Nevada
  3. 2.4 31 km SE of Mina, Nevada
  4. 3.6 28 km SSE of Mina, Nevada
  5. 2.4 29 km S of Mina, Nevada
  6. 2.5 32 km SE of Mina, Nevada
  7. 2.3 26 km SSE of Mina, Nevada
  8. 3.4 28 km SSE of Mina, Nevada
  9. 1.9 39 km ESE of Mina, Nevada
  10. 1.9 28 km SSE of Mina, Nevada
  11. 1.6 40 km ESE of Mina, Nevada
  12. 3.3 36 km SE of Mina, Nevada
  13. 1.7 37 km ESE of Mina, Nevada
  14. 2.3 38 km SE of Mina, Nevada
  15. 2.2 30 km SE of Mina, 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.