QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 4.8mw

51 km NE of Valmy, Nevada

Yes. A magnitude 4.8 earthquake was recorded 51 km NE of Valmy, Nevada, at 11:59 am PDT on 30 August 2025 (18:59 UTC), 8.1 km deep. 55 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

· 8.1 km deep · released about 240 tons of TNT

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10 km30 km60 km120 km N Elko 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
Magnitude
M 4.8 (mw)
Depth
8.1 km below the surface
Felt
55 reports · strongest reported intensity VI
Measured shaking
intensity VI (ShakeMap)
USGS impact alert
green
Nearest
Elko County, 115 km E
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 75 days ago

This was a light earthquake. It is usually felt clearly nearby and can rattle windows and dishes, but damage is uncommon.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 170 km (106 mi) from the epicentre. 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 240 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 5.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 710× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 32× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 22× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 4.8 about 240 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 500× 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km (31 mi) since our catalogue begins in 2016. No other earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded this close in that time.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 4 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.8 Elko County, Nevada · 44 km NNE of this epicentre
  2. 5.6 Elko County, Nevada · 44 km NNE of this epicentre
  3. 5.0 Northcentral Nevada · 46 km NNW of this epicentre
  4. 5.0 Elko County, Nevada · 44 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 41.1396, -116.7192. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Elko County, NV 115 km (71 mi) E earthquakes near Elko County
Humboldt County, NV 121 km (75 mi) WNW earthquakes near Humboldt County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.8 54 km NE of Valmy, Nevada
  2. 2.3 52 km NE of Valmy, Nevada
  3. 1.9 55 km NE of Valmy, Nevada
  4. 1.9 51 km NE of Valmy, Nevada
  5. 2.1 55 km NE of Valmy, Nevada
  6. 2.3 53 km NE of Valmy, Nevada
  7. 1.9 51 km NE of Valmy, Nevada
  8. 2.2 51 km NE of Valmy, Nevada
  9. 3.0 50 km NE of Valmy, Nevada
  10. 1.9 54 km NE of Valmy, Nevada
  11. 1.6 55 km NE of Valmy, Nevada
  12. 2.4 61 km NE of Valmy, Nevada
  13. 1.9 53 km NE of Valmy, Nevada
  14. 1.6 49 km NE of Valmy, Nevada
  15. 2.5 53 km NE of Valmy, 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.