QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.7ml

Earthquake near Las Vegas, NV

No earthquake was likely felt in Las Vegas in the 24 hours to 10:30 am PST (18:30 UTC). The last one was M 3.8, 26 km (16 mi) W, at 1:47 pm PDT on 4 June 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 3,797 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Las Vegas

This page: a magnitude 1.7 earthquake was recorded 26 km (16 mi) west-northwest of Las Vegas, NV, at 2:13 pm PDT on 5 October 2021 (21:13 UTC), 3.2 km deep.

USGS: Nevada

13 km (8 mi) NW of Las Vegas, NV

2:13 pm PDT, Oct 5, 2021 · · 3.2 km deep · released about 11 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Las Vegas Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Clark 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
2:13 pm PDT on 5 October 2021 ()
Where
26 km (16 mi) west-northwest of Las Vegas, NV · earthquakes near Las Vegas
Magnitude
M 1.7 (ml)
Depth
3.2 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Clark County, 35 km ESE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1855 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 12 km (7 mi) from the epicentre. In Las Vegas, 26 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: Summerlin South, Spring Valley, North Las Vegas, Sunrise Manor, Nellis Air Force Base.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 11 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,400,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,000,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 89× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.7 about 11 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 since 1900 lists no earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km.

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 36.3032, -115.3831. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Clark County, NV 35 km (21 mi) ESE earthquakes near Clark County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.9 9 km NW of Indian Springs, Nevada
  2. 2.9 9 km NW of Indian Springs, Nevada
  3. 1.7 9 km NNW of Indian Springs, Nevada
  4. 2.9 9 km NW of Indian Springs, Nevada
  5. 1.6 8 km NW of Indian Springs, Nevada
  6. 4.4 8 km NW of Indian Springs, Nevada
  7. 2.2 18 km WSW of Blue Diamond, Nevada
  8. 2.9 9 km NW of Indian Springs, Nevada
  9. 2.1 8 km SE of Enterprise, Nevada
  10. 1.6 24 km NW of North Las Vegas, Nevada
  11. 2.1 9 km SSE of Enterprise, Nevada
  12. 1.8 4 km SSW of Spring Valley, Nevada
  13. 2.0 9 km SSE of Enterprise, Nevada
  14. 2.0 14 km SW of Indian Springs, Nevada
  15. 1.5 18 km ESE of Indian Springs, 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.