QuakeIndex

Earthquake · automatic estimate, may change

M 2.7ml

Earthquake near Fallon, NV

No earthquake was likely felt in Fallon in the 24 hours to 7:27 am PST (15:27 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 2.7 earthquake was recorded 39 km (24 mi) east of Fallon, NV, at 12:29 pm PDT on 17 July 2021 (19:29 UTC), 16 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS. The magnitude and location are an automatic first estimate and may change.

USGS: 33 km E of Fallon Station, Nevada

12:29 pm PDT, Jul 17, 2021 · · 16 km deep · released about 340 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Fallon Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Churchill County 12 kmLyon County 88 kmMineral County 103 kmStorey County 103 kmPershing County 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
12:29 pm PDT on 17 July 2021 ()
Where
39 km (24 mi) east of Fallon, NV · earthquakes near Fallon
Magnitude
M 2.7 (ml)
Depth
16 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Churchill County, 12 km NNE
Nearest mapped fault
Sand Springs Range fault, 2 km from its surface trace — near is not the same as on
Status
Automatic — a machine’s first estimate, which may change

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1943 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 20 km (12 mi) from the epicentre. In Fallon, 39 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 340 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 45,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 32,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 2.8× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.7 about 340 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 23 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 7.1 The 1954 Fairview Peak, Nevada Earthquake · 38 km SE of this epicentre
  2. 6.9 The 1954 Dixie Valley, Nevada Earthquake · 47 km ENE of this epicentre
  3. 6.5 17 km ESE of Fallon Station, Nevada · 18 km WSW of this epicentre
  4. 6.2 The 1954 Rainbow Mountain, Nevada Earthquake · 21 km W of this epicentre
  5. 5.9 21 km SSE of Fallon Station, 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 39.4382, -118.3245. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Churchill County, NV 12 km (8 mi) NNE earthquakes near Churchill County
Lyon County, NV 88 km (55 mi) WSW earthquakes near Lyon County
Mineral County, NV 103 km (64 mi) S earthquakes near Mineral County
Storey County, NV 103 km (64 mi) W earthquakes near Storey County
Pershing County, NV 112 km (69 mi) N earthquakes near Pershing County
Lander County, NV 121 km (75 mi) ENE earthquakes near Lander County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.8 51 km NNW of Gabbs, Nevada
  2. 1.7 61 km W of Austin, Nevada
  3. 2.2 46 km NNW of Gabbs, Nevada
  4. 1.6 23 km E of Fallon Station, Nevada
  5. 1.9 10 km NW of Fallon, Nevada
  6. 1.5 27 km NNW of Gabbs, Nevada
  7. 2.6 27 km NNW of Gabbs, Nevada
  8. 2.6 35 km ENE of Schurz, Nevada
  9. 1.9 28 km ENE of Fallon Station, Nevada
  10. 1.5 56 km ENE of Fallon Station, Nevada
  11. 1.5 54 km E of Fallon Station, Nevada
  12. 1.5 39 km NNW of Gabbs, Nevada
  13. 2.7 28 km ENE of Fallon Station, Nevada
  14. 1.9 29 km ENE of Fallon Station, Nevada
  15. 2.0 35 km E of Schurz, 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.