QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.9ml

Earthquake near Reno, NV

No earthquake was likely felt in Reno in the 24 hours to 6:40 am PST (14:40 UTC). The last one was M 2.3, 7 km (4 mi) SW, at 11:07 pm PDT on 10 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 7 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Reno

This page: a magnitude 1.9 earthquake was recorded 19 km (12 mi) northeast of Reno, NV, at 8:02 am PDT on 29 June 2023 (15:02 UTC), 8.5 km deep. 3 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: Nevada

20 km (12 mi) ENE of Reno, NV · 9 km (6 mi) NE of Sparks, NV

8:02 am PDT, Jun 29, 2023 · · 8.5 km deep · released about 21 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Storey County 25 kmCarson City 55 kmSierra County 75 kmLyon County 79 kmDouglas County 82 kmNevada County 104 kmPlumas County 108 kmPlacer County 113 kmAlpine County 114 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
8:02 am PDT on 29 June 2023 ()
Where
19 km (12 mi) northeast of Reno, NV · earthquakes near Reno
Magnitude
M 1.9 (ml)
Depth
8.5 km below the surface
Felt
3 reports · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Storey County, 25 km SSE
Nearest mapped fault
Spanish Springs Valley fault, 8 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 1161 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 Reno, 19 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.

Likely felt in: Spanish Springs 5 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 21 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 710,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 500,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 45× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.9 about 21 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 8 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.4 Near Fernley, Nevada · 29 km ESE of this epicentre
  2. 6.0 Near Reno, Nevada · 20 km SW of this epicentre
  3. 6.0 6 km WNW of Verdi, California · 38 km WSW of this epicentre
  4. 5.6 5 km NE of Loyalton, California · 48 km W of this epicentre
  5. 5.5 7 km N of Wadsworth, Nevada · 31 km ENE 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 39.6422, -119.6494. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Storey County, NV 25 km (16 mi) SSE earthquakes near Storey County
Carson City, NV 55 km (34 mi) S earthquakes near Carson City
Sierra County, CA 75 km (47 mi) W earthquakes near Sierra County
Lyon County, NV 79 km (49 mi) SSE earthquakes near Lyon County
Douglas County, NV 82 km (51 mi) S earthquakes near Douglas County
Nevada County, CA 104 km (64 mi) WSW earthquakes near Nevada County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.3 6 km ESE of Spanish Springs, Nevada
  2. 3.1 6 km ESE of Spanish Springs, Nevada
  3. 1.5 Nevada
  4. 1.5 Nevada
  5. 1.7 7 km ESE of Spanish Springs, Nevada
  6. 2.0 6 km ESE of Spanish Springs, Nevada
  7. 3.6 Nevada
  8. 1.8 6 km ESE of Spanish Springs, Nevada
  9. 2.4 7 km ESE of Spanish Springs, Nevada
  10. 1.6 7 km ESE of Spanish Springs, Nevada
  11. 3.6 Nevada
  12. 1.7 5 km ESE of Spanish Springs, Nevada
  13. 2.1 5 km ESE of Spanish Springs, Nevada
  14. 1.5 21 km WSW of Wadsworth, Nevada
  15. 1.7 6 km ESE of Spanish 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.