M3.5 earthquake 21 km W of Empire, Nevada

A magnitude 3.5 earthquake struck 21 km W of Empire, Nevada on Mon, Jan 19, 2026, 11:09 AM PST (19:09 UTC), 11 km (7 mi) below the surface.

A larger quake followed: M3.6 21 km WSW of Gerlach, 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
3.45	ML, local (Richter)	Nevada Seismological Laboratory	Preferred · Reviewed · ±0.18 · 3 stations
3.0	ML, local (Richter)	USGS National Earthquake Information Center	Reviewed · ±0.03 · 144 stations

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

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

Reviewed by a seismologist.

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

Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 46 in the 60 days after this one and 44 in the 30 days before it.

From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nn00909686 (also filed as us7000rqmf). Read Thu, Oct 1, 2026, 10:17 PM UTC.