M2.6 earthquake 32 km SW of Empire, Nevada

A magnitude 2.6 earthquake struck 32 km SW of Empire, Nevada on Sun, Dec 3, 2023, 3:09 PM PST (23:09 UTC), 12 km (8 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.4 7 km ESE of Spanish Springs, Nevada. This one was a foreshock.

Map

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

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
2.6	ML, local (Richter)	Nevada Seismological Laboratory	Preferred · Reviewed · ±0.24 · 5 stations
2.5	ML, local (Richter)	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Reviewed · ±0.043 · 72 stations

No one has reported feeling this quake to the USGS.

Reviewed by a seismologist.

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

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 27 in the 60 days after this one and 13 in the 30 days before it.

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nn00869631 (also filed as us7000lg06). Read Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 1:38 PM UTC.