QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.5ml

Earthquake near Fernley, NV

No earthquake was likely felt in Fernley in the 24 hours to 5:56 am PST (13:56 UTC). The last one was M 2.3, 14 km (9 mi) E, at 7:39 pm PDT on 18 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Fernley

This page: a magnitude 1.5 earthquake was recorded 38 km (24 mi) northeast of Fernley, NV, at 12:21 pm PDT on 28 May 2021 (19:21 UTC), 17 km deep.

USGS: 36 km E of Nixon, Nevada

85 km (53 mi) ENE of Reno, NV

12:21 pm PDT, May 28, 2021 · · 17 km deep · released about 5.4 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Fernley Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Churchill County 67 kmStorey County 68 kmPershing County 79 kmLyon County 95 kmCarson City 105 kmWashoe 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
12:21 pm PDT on 28 May 2021 ()
Where
38 km (24 mi) northeast of Fernley, NV · earthquakes near Fernley
Magnitude
M 1.5 (ml)
Depth
17 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Churchill County, 67 km ESE
Nearest mapped fault
Hot Springs Mountains fault, 15 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 1995 days ago

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

At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Fernley, 38 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 5.4 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,800,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 2,000,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 180× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.5 about 5.4 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 4 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.8 40 km S of Lovelock, Nevada · 40 km E of this epicentre
  2. 5.5 7 km N of Wadsworth, Nevada · 36 km WSW of this epicentre
  3. 5.0 35 km ENE of Nixon, Nevada · 18 km NNW of this epicentre
  4. 5.0 12 km WSW of Lovelock, Nevada · 42 km NE 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 39.8512, -118.9317. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Churchill County, NV 67 km (42 mi) ESE earthquakes near Churchill County
Storey County, NV 68 km (43 mi) SW earthquakes near Storey County
Pershing County, NV 79 km (49 mi) NE earthquakes near Pershing County
Lyon County, NV 95 km (59 mi) SSW earthquakes near Lyon County
Carson City, NV 105 km (65 mi) SW earthquakes near Carson City
Washoe County, NV 116 km (72 mi) NNW earthquakes near Washoe 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. 1.8 39 km NNE of Nixon, Nevada
  2. 1.6 40 km NNE of Nixon, Nevada
  3. 1.7 38 km NNE of Nixon, Nevada
  4. 1.9 41 km NNE of Nixon, Nevada
  5. 2.5 39 km NNE of Nixon, Nevada
  6. 1.6 39 km NNE of Nixon, Nevada
  7. 2.5 41 km NNE of Nixon, Nevada
  8. 1.8 37 km NE of Nixon, Nevada
  9. 1.7 40 km NNE of Nixon, Nevada
  10. 1.9 40 km NNE of Nixon, Nevada
  11. 2.6 41 km NNE of Nixon, Nevada
  12. 1.7 40 km NNE of Nixon, Nevada
  13. 2.2 40 km NNE of Nixon, Nevada
  14. 1.7 39 km NNE of Nixon, Nevada
  15. 1.6 41 km NNE of Nixon, 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.