M3.8 earthquake 20 km WSW of Gerlach, Nevada
A magnitude 3.8 earthquake struck 20 km WSW of Gerlach, Nevada on Wed, Sep 16, 2026, 12:17 AM PDT (07:17 UTC), 7 km (4 mi) below the surface.
Map
Where this earthquake was located, with the others nearby. Select one for its page.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 3.8 (mwr), minor
- Local time
- UTC
- 2026-09-16 07:17:25 UTC
- Depth
- 7.0 km (4.3 mi), shallow
- Epicenter
- 40.607° N, 119.590° W
- Region
- Nevada
- Felt reports
- 7
- Strongest shaking
- IV, light shaking
- PAGER alert
- Green
- Tsunami flag
- No
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
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
- 5.2% of gravity
- Peak ground velocity
- 2.2 cm/s
- Map
- Automatic
Did you feel it?
7 people reported to the USGS what they felt; the strongest reported shaking was III, weak shaking. If you felt it, tell the USGS: every report sharpens the shaking map.
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 | 90% |
| 1 to 10 | 9% |
| 10 to 100 | Under 1% |
| 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 | 90% |
| 1 to 10 | 9% |
| 10 to 100 | Under 1% |
| 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
- Oblique normal
- Moment magnitude
- 3.8 Mwr
- Nodal plane 1
- Strike 20°, dip 40°, rake -146°
- Nodal plane 2
- Strike 263°, dip 69°, rake -55°
How well it is located
Reviewed by a seismologist.
- Station coverage gap
- 167°
- Stations used
- 11
Nearest places
Distance and direction from each place to the epicenter, with its forecast.
Nearby
Within 100 km, magnitude 1.5 and up: 6 since this one and 14 in the 30 days before it.
After
- 2.221 km NNW of Chilcoot-Vinton, CA · 13 days ago · 3 km deep · 86 km away
- 1.615 km WSW of Gerlach, Nevada · 13 days ago · 10 km deep · 6 km away
- 2.02 km SSE of Burning Man Earth, Nevada · 9 days ago · 8 km deep · 35 km away
- 1.822 km SSW of Empire, Nevada · 8 days ago · 11 km deep · 26 km away
- 1.611 km E of Eagleville, California · 6 days ago · 4 km deep · 87 km away
- 2.215 km N of Susanville, CA · 4 days ago · 6 km deep · 92 km away
Before
- 1.822 km W of Gerlach, Nevada · 13 days ago · 15 km deep · 2 km away
- 1.522 km W of Gerlach, Nevada · 13 days ago · 12 km deep · 3 km away
- 2.120 km W of Gerlach, Nevada · 13 days ago · 8 km deep · 1 km away
- 2.422 km W of Gerlach, Nevada · 13 days ago · 8 km deep · 3 km away
- 2.221 km W of Gerlach, Nevada · 13 days ago · 11 km deep · 2 km away
- 1.622 km W of Gerlach, Nevada · 13 days ago · 9 km deep · 4 km away
- 1.615 km WSW of Gerlach, Nevada · 13 days ago · 0 km deep · 5 km away
- 3.323 km W of Gerlach, Nevada · 15 days ago · 11 km deep · 3 km away
- 2.225 km SW of Humboldt, Nevada · 20 days ago · 8 km deep · 97 km away
- 1.67 km WSW of Burning Man Earth, Nevada · 21 days ago · 4 km deep · 28 km away
- 1.814 km NNW of Susanville, CA · 22 days ago · 5 km deep · 93 km away
- 2.48 km NW of Honey Lake, CA · 25 days ago · 2 km deep · 78 km away · felt by 1
- 1.717 km NNW of Sutcliffe, Nevada · 26 days ago · 14 km deep · 57 km away
- 1.914 km NNW of Susanville, CA · 35 days ago · 6 km deep · 92 km away
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Sources
From the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program and its partner networks, event nn00924508 (also filed as us7000thsq). Read Tue, Sep 29, 2026, 2:46 PM UTC.