Nevada earthquakes

M3.0 earthquake 53 km S of Silver Peak, Nevada

A magnitude 3.0 earthquake struck 53 km S of Silver Peak, Nevada on Fri, Dec 20, 2019, 8:46 AM PST (16:46 UTC), 5 km (3 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.4 5km NNW of Round Valley, CA. 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: 3.0 (ML, local (Richter)), minor
Magnitude from: USGS National Earthquake Information Center
Local time: Fri, Dec 20, 2019, 8:46 AM PST
UTC: 2019-12-20 16:46:06 UTC
Depth: 5.0 km (3.1 mi), shallow
Epicenter: 37.277° N, 117.619° W
Region: Nevada
Felt reports: 1
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
3.0	ML, local (Richter)	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Preferred · Reviewed · ±0.04 · 82 stations
3.4	ML, local (Richter)	Nevada Seismological Laboratory	Reviewed · ±0.73 · 5 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: 1.5% of gravity
Peak ground velocity: -1.2 cm/s
Map: Automatic

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

Did you feel it?

1 person reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was II, weak shaking.

How well it is located

Reviewed by a seismologist.

Location uncertainty: About 1.4 km horizontally, 1.7 km in depth
Magnitude uncertainty: ±0.04
Depth from: Operator assigned
Station coverage gap: 85°
Stations used: 45

Nearest places

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

Nearby

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 43 in the 60 days after this one and 15 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 us70006p4u (also filed as nn00713456, nc73317191). Read Fri, Oct 2, 2026, 9:24 PM UTC.