Nevada earthquakes

M4.2 earthquake 23 km SE of Hawthorne, Nevada

A magnitude 4.2 earthquake struck 23 km SE of Hawthorne, Nevada on Mon, Dec 31, 1979, 12:27 AM PST (08:27 UTC), 5 km (3 mi) below the surface.

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 4.2 (mb), light
Local time: Mon, Dec 31, 1979, 12:27 AM PST
UTC: 1979-12-31 08:27:51 UTC
Depth: 5.0 km (3.1 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 38.400° N, 118.400° W
Region: Nevada
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Did you feel it?

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Stations used: 41

Nearest places

Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 122 in the 60 days after this one and 77 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 122.

Before

Earthquakes today Nevada earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event usp00014t3 (also filed as ushis3552, ci12336555). Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 9:00 PM UTC.