QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.8ml

Earthquake near Carlin, NV

No earthquake was likely felt in Carlin in the 24 hours to 12:51 am PST (08:51 UTC). The last one was M 3.8, 72 km (45 mi) NW, at 9:01 am PDT on 31 March 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 5 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Carlin

This page: a magnitude 3.8 earthquake was recorded 41 km (25 mi) south-southwest of Carlin, NV, at 1:02 pm PST on 4 March 2024 (21:02 UTC), 9.8 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 17 km E of Crescent Valley, Nevada

1:02 pm PST, Mar 4, 2024 · · 9.8 km deep · released about 7.6 tons of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Eureka County 48 kmLander County 81 kmElko County 118 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
1:02 pm PST on 4 March 2024 ()
Where
41 km (25 mi) south-southwest of Carlin, NV · earthquakes near Carlin
Magnitude
M 3.8 (ml)
Depth
9.8 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Measured shaking
intensity III (ShakeMap)
Nearest
Eureka County, 48 km S
Nearest mapped fault
Cortez Mountains fault, 4 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 912 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 82 km (51 mi) from the epicentre. In Carlin, 41 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: Carlin 41 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 7.6 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 22,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,000× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 710× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.8 about 7.6 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 16× 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

No earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded within 50 km since our catalogue begins in 2016.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists one earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.1 21 km NNE of Crescent Valley, Nevada · 25 km NNW 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 40.4036, -116.3653. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Eureka County, NV 48 km (30 mi) S earthquakes near Eureka County
Lander County, NV 81 km (50 mi) SW earthquakes near Lander County
Elko County, NV 118 km (74 mi) NE earthquakes near Elko County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 11 km WNW of Carlin, Nevada
  2. 2.0 26 km W of Carlin, Nevada
  3. 2.1 27 km SSE of Carlin, Nevada
  4. 1.9 18 km NW of Carlin, Nevada
  5. 2.6 28 km SSE of Carlin, Nevada
  6. 1.6 32 km W of Carlin, Nevada
  7. 2.8 27 km W of Carlin, 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.