M4.5 earthquake 15 km WNW of Sandy Valley, Nevada
A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck 15 km WNW of Sandy Valley, Nevada on Thu, Jul 5, 2018, 8:17 AM PDT (15:17 UTC), 9 km (5 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 4.5 (ML, local (Richter)), light
- Magnitude from
- Nevada Seismological Laboratory
- Local time
- UTC
- 2018-07-05 15:17:36 UTC
- Depth
- 8.6 km (5.3 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 35.895° N, 115.776° W
- Region
- Nevada
- Felt reports
- 133
- Strongest shaking
- IV, light shaking
- PAGER alert
- Green
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.5 | ML, local (Richter) | Nevada Seismological Laboratory | Preferred · Reviewed · ±0.33 · 17 stations |
| 4.1 | Mwr, regional moment | USGS National Earthquake Information Center | Reviewed |
| 4.1 | Mwr, regional moment | Nevada Seismological Laboratory | Moment tensor · Reviewed |
Shaking
The USGS ShakeMap: shaking estimated from seismic stations and the quake’s size, on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.
- Strongest estimated
- IV, light shaking
- Peak ground acceleration
- 392.0% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 0.8 cm/s
- Map
- Automatic
Did you feel it?
133 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was IV, light shaking.
Estimated impact
The USGS PAGER system estimates deaths and economic losses from the shaking and the population and buildings exposed to it.
- Alert level
- Green: little or no damage or loss of life expected
| Range | Chance |
|---|---|
| Under 1 | 65% |
| 1 to 10 | 30% |
| 10 to 100 | 4% |
| 100 to 1,000 | Under 1% |
| 1,000 to 10,000 | Under 1% |
| 10,000 to 100,000 | Under 1% |
| 100,000 to 10,000,000 | Under 1% |
| Range, million USD | Chance |
|---|---|
| Under 1 | 65% |
| 1 to 10 | 30% |
| 10 to 100 | 4% |
| 100 to 1,000 | Under 1% |
| 1,000 to 10,000 | Under 1% |
| 10,000 to 100,000 | Under 1% |
| 100,000 to 10,000,000 | Under 1% |
Fault motion and ground failure
How the rock slipped, from the moment tensor, and the USGS estimate of landslides and liquefaction.
- Faulting
- Strike-slip
- Moment magnitude
- 4.1 Mwr
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 79°, dip 82°, rake -8°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 170°, dip 83°, rake -172°
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Magnitude uncertainty
- ±0.33
- Station coverage gap
- 40°
- Stations used
- 59
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 8 in the 60 days after this one and 2 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 1.913 km WNW of Sandy Valley, Nevada · 3011 days ago · 6 km deep · 2 km away
- 2.432km E of Tecopa, CA · 3003 days ago · 1 km deep · 10 km away
- 2.014 km WNW of Sandy Valley, Nevada · 3000 days ago · 4 km deep · 2 km away
- 1.534 km NW of Indian Springs, Nevada · 2996 days ago · 6 km deep · 99 km away
- 1.714 km WNW of Sandy Valley, Nevada · 2984 days ago · 3 km deep · 1 km away
- 1.521 km ENE of Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada · 2976 days ago · 0 km deep · 97 km away
- 1.916 km NW of Indian Springs, Nevada · 2970 days ago · 0 km deep · 87 km away
- 2.417km E of Shoshone, CA · 2961 days ago · 3 km deep · 29 km away
Before
Earthquakes todayNevada earthquakesLive radar here
Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nn00642964 (also filed as us2000fxh5). Read Sat, Oct 3, 2026, 3:49 AM UTC.