QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.9ml

Earthquake near Caliente, NV

No earthquake was likely felt in Caliente in the 24 hours to 10:12 am PST (18:12 UTC). The last one was M 4.8, 162 km (101 mi) NNW, at 12:01 am PDT on 27 September 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 3 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Caliente

This page: a magnitude 2.9 earthquake was recorded 36 km (22 mi) west-northwest of Caliente, NV, at 5:05 pm PDT on 23 September 2024 (00:05 UTC), 1.3 km deep.

USGS: 35 km ENE of Hiko, Nevada

5:05 pm PDT, Sep 23, 2024 · · 1.3 km deep · released about 680 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Lincoln County 14 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
5:05 pm PDT on 23 September 2024 ()
Where
36 km (22 mi) west-northwest of Caliente, NV · earthquakes near Caliente
Magnitude
M 2.9 (ml)
Depth
1.3 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Lincoln County, 14 km S
Nearest mapped fault
West Dry Lake 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 707 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 32 km (20 mi) from the epicentre. In Caliente, 36 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 680 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 22,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 16,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 1.4× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.9 about 680 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 one earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.0 48 km W of Pioche, Nevada · 29 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 37.7558, -114.8747. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Lincoln County, NV 14 km (8 mi) S earthquakes near Lincoln County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.8 15 km ENE of Hiko, Nevada
  2. 1.7 22 km NNE of Hiko, Nevada
  3. 1.8 35 km NNW of Hiko, Nevada
  4. 1.7 21 km E of Alamo, Nevada
  5. 1.6 28 km E of Alamo, Nevada
  6. 1.7 24 km WSW of Pioche, Nevada
  7. 1.6 34 km SW of Caliente, Nevada
  8. 2.2 19 km SSW of Caliente, Nevada
  9. 1.6 24 km S of Caliente, Nevada
  10. 1.8 13 km SSW of Caliente, Nevada
  11. 2.2 14 km NW of Beaverdam, Nevada
  12. 1.6 16 km SSW of Caliente, Nevada
  13. 1.9 25 km N of Hiko, Nevada
  14. 1.6 11 km NNW of Alamo, Nevada
  15. 1.7 7 km ESE of Hiko, 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.