M4.5 Earthquake 77 km NE of Tonopah, Nevada — May 5, 2026

On May 5, 2026 at 02:39 UTC, a magnitude 4.5 shallow crustal earthquake struck 77 km NE of Tonopah, Nevada, at a depth of 7.0 km and coordinates 38.4568°, -116.5006°. The earthquake was reported felt by 5 peopleacross nearby locations, with a maximum shaking intensity of Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) 4.5 (moderate). The USGS PAGER system issued a green alert level for this event, indicating no significant casualties or damage expected. This earthquake was detected by 7 seismic stations with moderate location accuracy and was assigned a USGS significance rating of 317, placing it among routine seismic activity. The nearest populated place is Tonopah (population 1,895).

Physical scale: An earthquake of magnitude 4.5 releases seismic energy equivalent to roughly 94 metric tons of TNT. Empirical fault-scaling laws (Wells & Coppersmith, 1994) estimate the subsurface rupture length at approximately 805 m — a useful intuition for the size of the slip patch on the fault.

Active aftershock sequence: This earthquake is the mainshock of an ongoing aftershock sequence. In the 2 hours since the mainshock, the USGS has recorded 9 aftershocks within 20 km of the epicenter, including 1 of magnitude 3.0 or greater. The strongest aftershock was a magnitude 3.4 event 1 hour ago. Aftershock sequences from mainshocks of magnitude 4.5 typically continue for several days and gradually diminish over time, though occasional larger aftershocks remain possible.

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