Nevada earthquakes

M2.3 earthquake 41km SE of Hawthorne, NV

A magnitude 2.3 earthquake struck 41km SE of Hawthorne, NV on Sun, Mar 22, 1981, 5:05 PM PST (01:05 UTC), -2 km (-1 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.0 12 km WSW of Aspen Springs, California. This one was a foreshock.

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Map

Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.

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The earthquake

Magnitude
2.3 (mh), micro
Local time
UTC
1981-03-23 01:05:47 UTC
Depth
-2.1 km (-1.3 mi), shallow
Epicenter
38.217° N, 118.357° 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.

Location uncertainty
About 5.8 km horizontally, 2.4 km in depth
Depth from
From location
Station coverage gap
314°, poorly surrounded by stations
Stations used
5

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 198 in the 60 days after this one and 0 in the 30 days before it.

After

The first 60 of 198.

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Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event ci12262471. Read Tue, Sep 22, 2026, 8:28 AM UTC.