QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.2ml

Earthquake near Spanish Springs, NV

No earthquake was likely felt in Spanish Springs in the 24 hours to 3:19 pm PST (23:19 UTC). The last one was M 1.6, 8 km (5 mi) WSW, at 7:27 pm PDT on 24 September 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Spanish Springs

This page: a magnitude 2.2 earthquake was recorded 43 km (26 mi) north of Spanish Springs, NV, at 9:48 am PST on 7 December 2020 (17:48 UTC), 10 km deep.

USGS: 9 km NNW of Sutcliffe, Nevada

56 km (35 mi) NNE of Reno, NV · 51 km (32 mi) N of Sparks, NV

9:48 am PST, Dec 7, 2020 · · 10 km deep · released about 60 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Spanish Springs Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Storey County 66 kmWashoe County 78 kmSierra County 91 kmCarson City 98 kmPlumas County 101 kmLassen County 113 kmPershing County 114 kmLyon County 118 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
9:48 am PST on 7 December 2020 ()
Where
43 km (26 mi) north of Spanish Springs, NV · earthquakes near Spanish Springs
Magnitude
M 2.2 (ml)
Depth
10 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Storey County, 66 km S
Nearest mapped fault
Warm Springs Valley 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 2166 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 16 km (10 mi) from the epicentre. In Spanish Springs, 43 km away, the estimate is intensity II (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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 60 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.2 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 250,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 180,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 16× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.2 about 60 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 3 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.6 6 km NNE of Doyle, California · 37 km W of this epicentre
  2. 5.5 7 km N of Wadsworth, Nevada · 47 km SE of this epicentre
  3. 5.3 4 km S of Doyle, California · 41 km W 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 40.0286, -119.6406. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Storey County, NV 66 km (41 mi) S earthquakes near Storey County
Washoe County, NV 78 km (49 mi) N earthquakes near Washoe County
Sierra County, CA 91 km (56 mi) WSW earthquakes near Sierra County
Carson City, NV 98 km (61 mi) S earthquakes near Carson City
Plumas County, CA 101 km (63 mi) W earthquakes near Plumas County
Lassen County, CA 113 km (70 mi) NW earthquakes near Lassen County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.5 20 km NE of Sutcliffe, Nevada
  2. 2.5 20 km NE of Sutcliffe, Nevada
  3. 1.8 18 km NNE of Sutcliffe, Nevada
  4. 1.8 18 km NE of Sutcliffe, Nevada
  5. 1.6 20 km NE of Sutcliffe, Nevada
  6. 1.7 19 km NE of Sutcliffe, Nevada
  7. 1.7 20 km NE of Sutcliffe, Nevada
  8. 2.4 21 km NE of Sutcliffe, Nevada
  9. 1.7 4 km NNW of Spanish Springs, Nevada
  10. 1.6 6 km ENE of Cold Springs, Nevada
  11. 1.5 34 km NE of Sutcliffe, Nevada
  12. 1.6 23 km N of Sutcliffe, Nevada
  13. 2.6 4 km NE of Sutcliffe, Nevada
  14. 2.0 30 km WSW of Empire, Nevada
  15. 1.5 3 km NNE of Sutcliffe, 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.