M3.6 Earthquake near Nevada — October 18, 2023
2023-10-18 18:26:54 UTC (2023-10-18) · approx. 10:26 AM UTC-8 local
Felt by 446 people across surrounding communities.
On October 18, 2023 at 18:26 UTC, a magnitude 3.6 shallow crustal earthquake struck near Nevada, at a depth of 11.6 km and coordinates 39.6241°, -119.6313°. The earthquake was reported felt by 446 peopleacross surrounding communities, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 4.0 (light). This earthquake was detected by 38 seismic stations with excellent location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 382, placing it among routine seismic activity.
Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 3.6 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 3.8 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 184 m — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.
The epicenter is located in Nevada, a region characterized by Basin and Range extensional tectonics, where normal faulting accommodates east-west crustal stretching at approximately 10 mm per year. The nearest mapped fault system is the Walker Lane fault zone. View all earthquakes in Nevada.
Learn more: Magnitude scale · Aftershock sequences
ShakeMap — predicted shaking intensity
Modeled ground-motion intensity contoured on the Modified Mercalli scale (MMI). Computed by the USGS from the moment-tensor solution and regional ground-motion prediction equations.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey ShakeMap. View interactive ShakeMap on USGS
Did You Feel It? — community-reported shaking
Aggregated felt-report intensity from 446 citizen responses to the USGS Did You Feel It? system. Each colored zone represents the average MMI from reports in that area.
Source: U.S. Geological Survey Did You Feel It?. View on USGS · submit your own report
Earthquake Details
-119.6313°E
Technical Information
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Common Questions
How strong was the magnitude 3.6 earthquake near Nevada?
The magnitude 3.6 earthquake that struck near Nevada on October 18, 2023 at 18:26 UTC had a depth of 11.6 km. It was felt by 446 people with maximum shaking intensity of MMI 4.0 (light). For context, this was a minor earthquake typically detected only by instruments.
Where did the earthquake occur?
The earthquake epicenter was located at 39.6241°, -119.6313°, which is near Nevada. View all earthquakes in Nevada.
Were there aftershocks?
Aftershock activity is monitored continuously by the USGS. Aftershock sequences from magnitude 3.6 earthquakes can continue for several days and gradually diminish over time.
Has Nevada had earthquakes this big before?
The largest recorded earthquake in Nevada was the M7.3 Pleasant Valley earthquake of October 2, 1915. Today's magnitude 3.6 event is significantly smaller than that historical record.
Authoritative source: USGS event page (event ID: nn00867575). All scientific values on this page are sourced verbatim from the USGS feed.
Cite this page: EarthquakeTracker.org. (2023, October 18, 2023). M3.6 Earthquake near Nevada — October 18, 2023. Retrieved December 26, 2023 from https://www.earthquaketracker.org/earthquakes/event/nn00867575/