QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6ml

Earthquake near Spanish Springs, NV

No earthquake was likely felt in Spanish Springs in the 24 hours to 5:33 pm PST (01:33 UTC). The last one was M 1.6, 8 km (5 mi) WSW, at 7:27 pm PDT on 24 September 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Spanish Springs

This page: a magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 12 km (8 mi) east of Spanish Springs, NV, at 11:21 pm PST on 22 November 2023 (07:21 UTC), 12 km deep.

USGS: 12 km E of Spanish Springs, Nevada

26 km (16 mi) ENE of Reno, NV · 14 km (9 mi) ENE of Sparks, NV

11:21 pm PST, Nov 22, 2023 · · 12 km deep · released about 7.6 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Spanish Springs Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Storey County 22 kmCarson City 56 kmLyon County 75 kmDouglas County 81 kmSierra County 82 kmNevada County 110 kmChurchill County 112 kmAlpine County 114 kmPlumas County 115 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
11:21 pm PST on 22 November 2023 ()
Where
12 km (8 mi) east of Spanish Springs, NV · earthquakes near Spanish Springs
Magnitude
M 1.6 (ml)
Depth
12 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Storey County, 22 km S
Nearest mapped fault
Olinghouse fault, 9 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 1080 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Spanish Springs, 12 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: Sun Valley, Sparks, Golden Valley, Lemmon Valley, Reno, Fernley.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 7.6 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,000,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,400,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 130× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 7.6 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 7 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.4 Near Fernley, Nevada · 22 km SE of this epicentre
  2. 6.0 Near Reno, Nevada · 25 km SW of this epicentre
  3. 6.0 6 km WNW of Verdi, California · 45 km WSW of this epicentre
  4. 5.5 7 km N of Wadsworth, Nevada · 24 km ENE of this epicentre
  5. 5.3 1 km NNE of Verdi, Nevada · 37 km WSW 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 39.6328, -119.5654. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Storey County, NV 22 km (14 mi) S earthquakes near Storey County
Carson City, NV 56 km (35 mi) SSW earthquakes near Carson City
Lyon County, NV 75 km (47 mi) SSE earthquakes near Lyon County
Douglas County, NV 81 km (50 mi) S earthquakes near Douglas County
Sierra County, CA 82 km (51 mi) W earthquakes near Sierra County
Nevada County, CA 110 km (68 mi) WSW earthquakes near Nevada County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.5 9 km N of Lemmon Valley, Nevada
  2. 1.7 11 km NNW of Virginia City, Nevada
  3. 1.5 11 km NNW of Virginia City, Nevada
  4. 2.0 11 km NNW of Virginia City, Nevada
  5. 1.6 11 km NNW of Virginia City, Nevada
  6. 3.2 11 km NNW of Virginia City, Nevada
  7. 1.9 11 km NNW of Virginia City, Nevada
  8. 1.9 10 km NNW of Virginia City, Nevada
  9. 2.0 11 km NNW of Virginia City, Nevada
  10. 2.7 11 km NNW of Virginia City, Nevada
  11. 1.9 11 km NNW of Virginia City, Nevada
  12. 2.2 10 km NNW of Virginia City, Nevada
  13. 3.2 11 km NNW of Virginia City, Nevada
  14. 2.0 12 km NNW of Virginia City, Nevada
  15. 1.6 9 km NNE of Verdi, 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.