QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.9ml

Earthquake near Fernley, NV

No earthquake was likely felt in Fernley in the 24 hours to 5:03 pm PST (01:03 UTC). The last one was M 2.3, 14 km (9 mi) E, at 7:39 pm PDT on 18 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Fernley

This page: a magnitude 1.9 earthquake was recorded 13 km (8 mi) east-northeast of Fernley, NV, at 9:32 am PDT on 23 April 2024 (16:32 UTC), 5.7 km deep.

USGS: 12 km ENE of Fernley, Nevada

63 km (39 mi) ENE of Reno, NV · 52 km (32 mi) ENE of Sparks, NV

9:32 am PDT, Apr 23, 2024 · · 5.7 km deep · released about 21 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Storey County 43 kmLyon County 72 kmChurchill County 75 kmCarson City 78 kmDouglas County 94 kmPershing County 105 kmSierra County 120 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
9:32 am PDT on 23 April 2024 ()
Where
13 km (8 mi) east-northeast of Fernley, NV · earthquakes near Fernley
Magnitude
M 1.9 (ml)
Depth
5.7 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Storey County, 43 km SW
Nearest mapped fault
Hot Springs Mountains 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 703 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 14 km (9 mi) from the epicentre. In Fernley, 13 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: Fernley 13 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 3 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.4 Near Fernley, Nevada · 25 km SW of this epicentre
  2. 5.5 7 km N of Wadsworth, Nevada · 15 km WNW of this epicentre
  3. 5.0 35 km ENE of Nixon, Nevada · 38 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 39.6682, -119.1262. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Storey County, NV 43 km (27 mi) SW earthquakes near Storey County
Lyon County, NV 72 km (45 mi) S earthquakes near Lyon County
Churchill County, NV 75 km (47 mi) E earthquakes near Churchill County
Carson City, NV 78 km (49 mi) SW earthquakes near Carson City
Douglas County, NV 94 km (59 mi) SSW earthquakes near Douglas County
Pershing County, NV 105 km (65 mi) NE earthquakes near Pershing County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 11 km E of Sparks, Nevada
  2. 2.2 9 km ENE of Sparks, Nevada
  3. 1.5 8 km SE of Silver Springs, Nevada
  4. 1.8 10 km ESE of Silver Springs, Nevada
  5. 2.3 2 km NNE of Fernley, Nevada
  6. 1.5 14 km SE of Silver Springs, Nevada
  7. 2.4 7 km W of Wadsworth, Nevada
  8. 1.9 13 km NNW of Stagecoach, Nevada
  9. 1.8 3 km W of Nixon, Nevada
  10. 2.0 13 km NNW of Stagecoach, Nevada
  11. 2.4 6 km W of Wadsworth, Nevada
  12. 1.6 9 km E of Sparks, Nevada
  13. 1.9 9 km SE of Nixon, Nevada
  14. 1.6 10 km E of Sparks, Nevada
  15. 1.9 8 km E of Sparks, 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.