QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6ml

Earthquake near Silver Springs, NV

No earthquake was likely felt in Silver Springs in the 24 hours to 5:33 am PST (13:33 UTC). The last one was M 2.8, 20 km (12 mi) ESE, at 2:34 am PDT on 15 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Silver Springs

This page: a magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 4 km (3 mi) southeast of Silver Springs, NV, at 12:50 am PST on 6 January 2021 (08:50 UTC), 6.0 km deep.

USGS: 4 km SE of Silver Springs, Nevada

59 km (37 mi) ESE of Reno, NV · 50 km (31 mi) ESE of Sparks, NV

12:50 am PST, Jan 6, 2021 · · 6.0 km deep · released about 7.6 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Storey County 29 kmLyon County 41 kmCarson City 55 kmDouglas County 65 kmChurchill County 81 kmAlpine County 100 kmSierra County 116 kmMineral 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
12:50 am PST on 6 January 2021 ()
Where
4 km (3 mi) southeast of Silver Springs, NV · earthquakes near Silver Springs
Magnitude
M 1.6 (ml)
Depth
6.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Storey County, 29 km W
Nearest mapped fault
Carson lineament, 2 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 2136 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 9 km (6 mi) from the epicentre. In Silver Springs, 4 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.

Likely felt in: Silver Springs 4 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 7.6 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,000,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,400,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 130× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 7.6 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 6 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.4 Near Fernley, Nevada · 20 km NW of this epicentre
  2. 6.1 22 km SSE of Stagecoach, Nevada · 26 km SSW of this epicentre
  3. 5.5 California-Nevada border region · 43 km S of this epicentre
  4. 5.5 7 km N of Wadsworth, Nevada · 36 km NNW of this epicentre
  5. 5.5 13 km NW of Schurz, Nevada · 46 km SSE 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 39.3889, -119.1891. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Storey County, NV 29 km (18 mi) W earthquakes near Storey County
Lyon County, NV 41 km (25 mi) S earthquakes near Lyon County
Carson City, NV 55 km (34 mi) WSW earthquakes near Carson City
Douglas County, NV 65 km (40 mi) SW earthquakes near Douglas County
Churchill County, NV 81 km (50 mi) ENE earthquakes near Churchill County
Alpine County, CA 100 km (62 mi) SSW earthquakes near Alpine County

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. 2.1 14 km NE of Virginia City, Nevada
  2. 2.0 11 km NE of Silver Springs, Nevada
  3. 1.9 6 km SE of Silver Springs, Nevada
  4. 1.6 Nevada
  5. 2.1 12 km WNW of Wadsworth, Nevada
  6. 1.5 15 km WNW of Stagecoach, Nevada
  7. 1.8 11 km SW of Nixon, Nevada
  8. 1.8 14 km E of Fernley, Nevada
  9. 1.6 14 km E of Fernley, Nevada
  10. 1.5 14 km E of Fernley, Nevada
  11. 1.9 13 km ESE of Fernley, Nevada
  12. 1.5 9 km ESE of Sparks, Nevada
  13. 1.8 24 km NNW of Fallon, Nevada
  14. 2.6 14 km ESE of Fernley, Nevada
  15. 1.5 10 km NNW of Stagecoach, 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.