QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.9ml

Earthquake near Fallon, NV

No earthquake was likely felt in Fallon in the 24 hours to 12:32 pm PST (20:32 UTC). The last one was M 2.6, 24 km (15 mi) SW, at 12:51 am PDT on 22 August 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Fallon

This page: a magnitude 1.9 earthquake was recorded 32 km (20 mi) east-northeast of Fallon, NV, at 2:44 pm PDT on 19 October 2023 (21:44 UTC), 12 km deep.

USGS: 29 km ENE of Fallon Station, Nevada

2:44 pm PDT, Oct 19, 2023 · · 12 km deep · released about 21 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Fallon Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Churchill County 13 kmLyon County 89 kmStorey County 96 kmPershing County 100 kmMineral 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
2:44 pm PDT on 19 October 2023 ()
Where
32 km (20 mi) east-northeast of Fallon, NV · earthquakes near Fallon
Magnitude
M 1.9 (ml)
Depth
12 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Churchill County, 13 km E
Nearest mapped fault
Rainbow Mountain fault, 6 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 1119 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 8 km (5 mi) from the epicentre. In Fallon, 32 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 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 22 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.9 The 1954 Dixie Valley, Nevada Earthquake · 49 km ENE of this epicentre
  2. 6.5 17 km ESE of Fallon Station, Nevada · 20 km SSW of this epicentre
  3. 6.2 The 1954 Rainbow Mountain, Nevada Earthquake · 19 km SW of this epicentre
  4. 5.9 21 km SSE of Fallon Station, Nevada · 37 km SSW of this epicentre
  5. 5.8 40 km S of Lovelock, Nevada · 30 km N 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 39.5421, -118.4136. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Churchill County, NV 13 km (8 mi) E earthquakes near Churchill County
Lyon County, NV 89 km (55 mi) SW earthquakes near Lyon County
Storey County, NV 96 km (60 mi) W earthquakes near Storey County
Pershing County, NV 100 km (62 mi) N earthquakes near Pershing County
Mineral County, NV 114 km (71 mi) S earthquakes near Mineral County
Carson City, NV 123 km (76 mi) WSW earthquakes near Carson City

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.5 26 km ESE of Fallon Station, Nevada
  2. 1.8 25 km ESE of Fallon Station, Nevada
  3. 1.8 35 km S of Lovelock, Nevada
  4. 1.7 34 km SSE of Lovelock, Nevada
  5. 1.6 25 km ESE of Fallon Station, Nevada
  6. 1.7 12 km NW of Fallon, Nevada
  7. 2.1 66 km ENE of Fallon Station, Nevada
  8. 2.0 47 km ENE of Fallon Station, Nevada
  9. 2.2 16 km SW of Fallon, Nevada
  10. 1.7 67 km SE of Lovelock, Nevada
  11. 1.6 42 km NNW of Gabbs, Nevada
  12. 3.6 42 km NNW of Gabbs, Nevada
  13. 2.1 58 km N of Gabbs, Nevada
  14. 1.6 42 km ENE of Fallon Station, Nevada
  15. 1.7 22 km E of Fallon Station, 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.