QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.7ml

Earthquake near Wells, NV

No earthquake was likely felt in Wells in the 24 hours to 2:53 am PST (10:53 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 3.7 earthquake was recorded 17 km (10 mi) south of Wells, NV, at 6:31 am PST on 10 January 2022 (14:31 UTC), 14 km deep. 9 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 16 km S of Wells, Nevada

6:31 am PST, Jan 10, 2022 · · 14 km deep · released about 5.4 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Wells Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Elko County 40 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
6:31 am PST on 10 January 2022 ()
Where
17 km (10 mi) south of Wells, NV · earthquakes near Wells
Magnitude
M 3.7 (ml)
Depth
14 km below the surface
Felt
9 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Elko County, 40 km WNW
Nearest mapped fault
Ruby Mountains fault, 20 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 1700 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 75 km (47 mi) from the epicentre. In Wells, 17 km away, the estimate is intensity III (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.

Likely felt in: Wells 17 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 5.4 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 32,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,400× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,000× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.7 about 5.4 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 11× more

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 32 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 · 21 km NNE of this epicentre
  2. 5.1 10 km ENE of Wells, Nevada · 21 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 40.9622, -114.9424. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Elko County, NV 40 km (25 mi) WNW earthquakes near Elko County
Eureka County, NV 157 km (98 mi) SW earthquakes near Eureka County

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

Aftershocks so far

4 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

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.