QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.3ml

Earthquake near Wells, NV

No earthquake was likely felt in Wells in the 24 hours to 4:48 am PST (12:48 UTC). The last one was M 4.8, 147 km (91 mi) W, at 11:59 am PDT on 30 August 2025, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 55 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Wells

This page: a magnitude 2.3 earthquake was recorded 23 km (15 mi) south-southwest of Wells, NV, at 5:15 pm PDT on 31 August 2021 (00:15 UTC), 3.2 km deep.

USGS: 23 km SSW of Wells, Nevada

5:15 pm PDT, Aug 31, 2021 · · 3.2 km deep · released about 85 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Wells Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Elko County 35 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
5:15 pm PDT on 31 August 2021 ()
Where
23 km (15 mi) south-southwest of Wells, NV · earthquakes near Wells
Magnitude
M 2.3 (ml)
Depth
3.2 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Elko County, 35 km NW
Nearest mapped fault
Ruby Mountains fault, 18 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 1898 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 20 km (12 mi) from the epicentre. In Wells, 23 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 85 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 180,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 130,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 11× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.3 about 85 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 4.7 on 2021-08-31 — about 4,000 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 2 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.9 8 km ENE of Wells, Nevada · 30 km NNE of this epicentre
  2. 5.1 10 km ENE of Wells, Nevada · 31 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 40.9147, -115.0645. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Elko County, NV 35 km (22 mi) NW earthquakes near Elko County
Eureka County, NV 146 km (91 mi) SW earthquakes near Eureka County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.6 47 km E of Lamoille, Nevada
  2. 3.0 10 km ENE of Wells, Nevada
  3. 2.0 23 km S of Wells, Nevada
  4. 3.0 14 km SE of Wells, Nevada
  5. 3.1 29 km SE of Lamoille, Nevada
  6. 3.7 16 km S of Wells, Nevada
  7. 3.6 31 km NE of Osino, Nevada
  8. 2.0 20 km S of Wells, Nevada
  9. 1.5 21 km SSW of Wells, Nevada
  10. 2.7 29 km ESE of Lamoille, Nevada
  11. 1.9 7 km WSW of Oasis, Nevada
  12. 1.5 21 km SSW of Wells, Nevada
  13. 3.0 31 km SSW of Wells, Nevada
  14. 2.3 22 km SSW of Wells, Nevada
  15. 1.9 35 km SE of Lamoille, 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.