QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.8ml

Earthquake near Boulder City, NV

No earthquake was likely felt in Boulder City in the 24 hours to 7:47 pm PST (03:47 UTC). The last one was M 1.9, 6 km (4 mi) N, at 2:24 pm PDT on 3 July 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Boulder City

This page: a magnitude 1.8 earthquake was recorded 3 km (2 mi) south of Boulder City, NV, at 8:04 pm PDT on 18 September 2021 (03:04 UTC), 10 km deep. 26 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 3 km S of Boulder City, Nevada

19 km (12 mi) ESE of Henderson, NV

8:04 pm PDT, Sep 18, 2021 · · 10 km deep · released about 15 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Clark County 34 kmMohave County 100 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
8:04 pm PDT on 18 September 2021 ()
Where
3 km (2 mi) south of Boulder City, NV · earthquakes near Boulder City
Magnitude
M 1.8 (ml)
Depth
10 km below the surface
Felt
26 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Clark County, 34 km NNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1806 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 Boulder City, 3 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: Henderson, Whitney.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 15 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,000,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 710,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 63× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.8 about 15 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 one earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.0 1 km SE of Boulder City, Nevada · 2 km NNE 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 35.9484, -114.8270. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Clark County, NV 34 km (21 mi) NNW earthquakes near Clark County
Mohave County, AZ 100 km (62 mi) ESE earthquakes near Mohave County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 10 km SW of Enterprise, Nevada
  2. 1.6 9 km NE of Whitney, Nevada
  3. 1.5 1 km WNW of Spring Valley, Nevada
  4. 1.6 10 km SSE of Enterprise, Nevada
  5. 1.7 9 km ENE of Whitney, Nevada
  6. 1.6 8 km SSE of Paradise, Nevada
  7. 1.7 9 km WSW of Henderson, Nevada
  8. 1.6 8 km SSW of Henderson, Nevada
  9. 2.0 4 km SW of Enterprise, Nevada
  10. 1.8 18 km E of Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada
  11. 2.1 14 km SSE of Enterprise, Nevada
  12. 2.4 11 km ESE of Enterprise, Nevada
  13. 1.8 8 km SSW of Whitney, Nevada
  14. 2.3 3 km SSW of Enterprise, Nevada
  15. 1.9 8 km SE of Enterprise, 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.