QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.8ml

Earthquake near Fallon, NV

No earthquake was likely felt in Fallon in the 24 hours to 2:24 pm PST (22:24 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 1.8 earthquake was recorded 41 km (25 mi) southeast of Fallon, NV, at 4:19 am PDT on 21 September 2020 (11:19 UTC), 4.5 km deep.

USGS: 32 km SE of Fallon Station, Nevada

4:19 am PDT, Sep 21, 2020 · · 4.5 km deep · released about 15 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Fallon Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Churchill County 40 kmLyon County 68 kmMineral County 77 kmStorey County 96 kmDouglas County 106 kmCarson City 112 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
4:19 am PDT on 21 September 2020 ()
Where
41 km (25 mi) southeast of Fallon, NV · earthquakes near Fallon
Magnitude
M 1.8 (ml)
Depth
4.5 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Churchill County, 40 km NNE
Nearest mapped fault
Sand Springs Range fault, 14 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 2243 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 13 km (8 mi) from the epicentre. In Fallon, 41 km away, the estimate is intensity I (not felt). 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 15 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,000,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 710,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 63× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.8 about 15 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 26 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 7.1 The 1954 Fairview Peak, Nevada Earthquake · 39 km E of this epicentre
  2. 6.5 17 km ESE of Fallon Station, Nevada · 20 km NNW of this epicentre
  3. 6.2 The 1954 Rainbow Mountain, Nevada Earthquake · 26 km NNW of this epicentre
  4. 5.9 21 km SSE of Fallon Station, Nevada · 14 km WNW of this epicentre
  5. 5.8 48 km NNW of Gabbs, Nevada · 30 km ENE 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 39.2057, -118.4491. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Churchill County, NV 40 km (25 mi) NNE earthquakes near Churchill County
Lyon County, NV 68 km (42 mi) WSW earthquakes near Lyon County
Mineral County, NV 77 km (48 mi) S earthquakes near Mineral County
Storey County, NV 96 km (60 mi) WNW earthquakes near Storey County
Douglas County, NV 106 km (66 mi) WSW earthquakes near Douglas County
Carson City, NV 112 km (70 mi) W earthquakes near Carson City

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.9 34 km NNW of Gabbs, Nevada
  2. 1.7 5 km SW of Fallon Station, Nevada
  3. 1.7 53 km E of Fallon Station, Nevada
  4. 2.1 4 km ESE of Schurz, Nevada
  5. 2.6 4 km ESE of Schurz, Nevada
  6. 1.5 19 km ENE of Yerington, Nevada
  7. 1.9 1 km E of Schurz, Nevada
  8. 1.6 Nevada
  9. 1.5 41 km E of Fallon Station, Nevada
  10. 1.5 30 km NW of Gabbs, Nevada
  11. 1.9 16 km WNW of Gabbs, Nevada
  12. 2.2 1 km E of Schurz, Nevada
  13. 1.7 38 km E of Schurz, Nevada
  14. 1.6 California-Nevada border region
  15. 2.6 23 km WNW of Gabbs, 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.