QuakeIndex

Earthquake · automatic estimate, may change

M 1.5ml

Earthquake near Topaz Ranch Estates, NV

No earthquake was likely felt in Topaz Ranch Estates in the 24 hours to 4:55 pm PST (00:55 UTC). The last one was M 2.3, 8 km (5 mi) SW, at 6:36 pm PDT on 29 September 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Topaz Ranch Estates

This page: a magnitude 1.5 earthquake was recorded 13 km (8 mi) south of Topaz Ranch Estates, NV, at 1:34 am PDT on 29 July 2021 (08:34 UTC), 12 km deep. The magnitude and location are an automatic first estimate and may change.

USGS: 4 km E of Topaz, California

1:34 am PDT, Jul 29, 2021 · · 12 km deep · released about 5.4 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Alpine County 28 kmDouglas County 34 kmLyon County 51 kmCarson City 64 kmTuolumne County 79 kmStorey County 91 kmMineral County 92 kmMono County 94 kmEl Dorado County 94 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
1:34 am PDT on 29 July 2021 ()
Where
13 km (8 mi) south of Topaz Ranch Estates, NV · earthquakes near Topaz Ranch Estates
Magnitude
M 1.5 (ml)
Depth
12 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Alpine County, 28 km W
Nearest mapped fault
Antelope Valley fault, 1 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 1933 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 Topaz Ranch Estates, 13 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Smith Valley, Smith.

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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 6.0 on 2021-07-08 — about 5,600,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 9 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.1 4 km S of Carter Springs, Nevada · 27 km NW of this epicentre
  2. 5.5 California-Nevada border region · 49 km NNE of this epicentre
  3. 5.2 23 km S of Walker, California · 35 km S of this epicentre
  4. 5.1 10 km SE of South Lake Tahoe, California · 47 km NW of this epicentre
  5. 5.1 19 km W of Bridgeport, California · 44 km S 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 38.6168, -119.4724. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Alpine County, CA 28 km (18 mi) W earthquakes near Alpine County
Douglas County, NV 34 km (21 mi) NNW earthquakes near Douglas County
Lyon County, NV 51 km (32 mi) NNE earthquakes near Lyon County
Carson City, NV 64 km (40 mi) NNW earthquakes near Carson City
Tuolumne County, CA 79 km (49 mi) SSW earthquakes near Tuolumne County
Storey County, NV 91 km (57 mi) N earthquakes near Storey County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.7 31km ENE of Dardanelle, CA
  2. 1.6 26km ENE of Dardanelle, CA
  3. 2.1 31km ENE of Dardanelle, CA
  4. 2.3 31km ENE of Dardanelle, CA
  5. 1.6 26km ENE of Dardanelle, CA
  6. 1.8 25km ENE of Dardanelle, CA
  7. 1.8 26km ENE of Dardanelle, CA
  8. 1.6 25km ENE of Dardanelle, CA
  9. 1.7 25km ENE of Dardanelle, CA
  10. 1.7 28km SE of Markleeville, CA
  11. 1.6 17 km SE of Smith, Nevada
  12. 1.6 28km SE of Markleeville, CA
  13. 2.1 29km SSW of Smith Valley, NV
  14. 1.6 3 km NE of Walker, California
  15. 1.5 29km SE of Markleeville, CA

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.