Nevada earthquakes

M2.9 earthquake 24 km WSW of Hawthorne, Nevada

A magnitude 2.9 earthquake struck 24 km WSW of Hawthorne, Nevada on Sun, May 6, 2018, 8:52 PM PDT (03:52 UTC), 9 km (5 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.0 21km SE of Bodie, CA. This one was a foreshock.

Hawthorne forecast More in Nevada

Map

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

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The earthquake

Magnitude: 2.9 (ML, local (Richter)), micro
Magnitude from: Nevada Seismological Laboratory
Local time: Sun, May 6, 2018, 8:52 PM PDT
UTC: 2018-05-07 03:52:12 UTC
Depth: 8.7 km (5.4 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 38.422° N, 118.873° W
Region: Nevada
Felt reports: 5
Strongest shaking: III, weak shaking
Tsunami flag: No
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

Magnitude estimates

Different scales measure different things and differ by a few tenths. The USGS marks one as preferred, and it is the one this page uses.

Mag.	Scale	Computed by	Notes
2.9	ML, local (Richter)	Nevada Seismological Laboratory	Preferred · Reviewed · ±0.21 · 9 stations
2.9	ML, local (Richter)	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Reviewed · ±0.21 · 9 stations

Shaking

The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.

Strongest estimated: III, weak shaking
Peak ground acceleration: 62.0% of gravity
Peak ground velocity: 0.1 cm/s
Map: Automatic

USGS ShakeMap: estimated shaking intensity around the epicenter — Estimated shaking intensity. Map: USGS ShakeMap.

Did you feel it?

5 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was II, weak shaking.

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.21
Station coverage gap: 49°
Stations used: 37

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 59 in the 60 days after this one and 47 in the 30 days before it.

After

Before

Earthquakes today Nevada earthquakes Live radar here

Sources

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nn00633800 (also filed as nc73012416, us1000dzpz). Read Sun, Oct 4, 2026, 10:39 PM UTC.