Report: 75% of U.S. at risk of earthquakes
A new seismic hazard model reveals that approximately 75% of the U.S. population could potentially be affected by earthquake impacts in the future.
Fox – 5 NY
Two 4.0-plus earthquakes struck Nevada on Wednesday morning, more than a week after a 5.7 shook the northwestern part of the state.
The larger of the two was a 4.73-magnitude temblor that struck southwestern Churchill County at 10:23 a.m. PDT.
A second one, 135 miles to the southeast near Tonopah, struck a minute later. It had an initial measurement of 3.98.
The larger quake struck around 17 miles southwest of Fallon near Lahontan State Recreational Area, which straddles Churchill and Lyon counties about 60 miles east of Reno. That was the approximate location of the 5.7 quake that hit April 13.
That area also was shaken by a 3.99 quake on Sunday.
10 largest earthquakes in Nevada history
Significant earthquakes were frequent in Reno’s early days. In a 55-year stretch from 1860 to 1914, seven quakes measuring 6.0 and above struck Reno, Virginia City and Carson City. One quake on Dec. 10, 1900 caused the hot springs and geysers at Steamboat Springs to dry up.
East of Reno, Churchill County suffered six earthquakes 6.0 or greater in a five-year stretch in the 1950s; the results of a powerful 7.2 quake in December 1954 are still visible in the landscape near Fallon nearly 70 years later.
But in the past six-plus decades, northwestern Nevada hasn’t seen any earthquake greater than 6.0. The Mogul-Somersett earthquake swarm in 2008 topped out at just 4.7, and the Galena earthquake swarm in 2018 only reached 2.7.
Here’s a list of Nevada’s largest recorded earthquakes:
7.2 — Fairview Peak earthquake, Dec. 16, 1954: The first of two major earthquakes that struck near Fallon just four minutes and 20 seconds apart. It was the largest of a series of quakes that shook the area beginning in summer.
6.9 — Dixie Valley earthquake, Dec. 16, 1954: The aftershocks of the two Dec. 16 earthquakes were so extensive, they were still being recorded in 1963.
6.8 — Pleasant Valley earthquake, Oct. 3, 1915: The earthquake in rural southeastern Pershing County prompted an investigation into whether downtown Reno’s Majestic Theater, about 100 miles away from the epicenter, was safe for occupancy.
6.8 — Cedar Mountain earthquake, Dec. 21, 1932: The earthquake was felt strongly in Reno, cracking building foundations, breaking hundreds of windows and causing power outages in Fallon, Fernley and Lovelock.
6.5 — Carson City earthquake, June 3, 1887: Residents of northwestern Nevada were shaken from sleep just before 3 a.m., cracking foundations in the capital; the Reno Evening Gazette reported the quake produced a “low rumbling noise” like distant thunder.
6.5 — Stillwater earthquake, Aug. 24, 1954: This earthquake was a forerunner of much larger quakes in December and possibly the most destructive of the year. Buildings, roads and dams in the Fallon area were severely damaged.
6.5 — Post Canyon earthquake, March 15, 1860: Centered about 1 ½ miles southwest of the present-day Switch campus at the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center, this quake startled residents of Carson City and Virginia City.
6.5 — Monte Cristo Range earthquake, May 15, 2020: A May 15 earthquake, magnitude 6.5, was the largest earthquake to hit Nevada since the 1954 quakes. Several sections of US 95 were damaged, but no other significant damage was reported.
6.4 — Virginia City earthquake, Dec. 27, 1869: The Gold Hill Daily News said the earthquake and aftershocks were “to the infinite disgust of nearly everybody who desired sleep and rest” and wondered “when this foolishness is going to stop.”
6.4 — Reno earthquake, April 24, 1914: The largest of a series of earthquakes that lasted from February through April.
More significant earthquakes in Nevada history
Magnitude, approximate location, date
- 6.3 — Excelsior Mountains, Jan. 30, 1934
- 6.3 — California-Nevada state line east of Truckee, Sept. 3, 1857
- 6.2 — Rainbow Mountain, July 6, 1954
- 6.2 — Carson City, Dec. 27, 1869
- 6.1 — Carter Springs, Sept. 12, 1994
- 6.08 — Stagecoach, June 25, 1933
- 6 — Humboldt, Oct. 3, 1915
- 6 — Reno, Feb. 18, 1914
- 6 — Austin, Nov. 12, 1872
- 6 — Virginia City, May 30, 1868
- 5.9 — Wells, Feb. 21, 2008
- 5.9 — Winnemucca, Feb. 3, 1916
- 5.9 — Fallon, July 6, 1954
- 5.88 — Incline Village, April 24, 1914
- 5.8 — Yerington, Dec. 9, 2024
- 5.8 — Lovelock, Aug. 31, 1954
- 5.8 — Gabbs, Dec. 16, 1954
- 5.8 — Owyhee, Aug. 3, 1916
- 5.8 — Beatty, June 29, 1992
- 5.71 — Fallon, March 23, 1959
- 5.7 — Churchill County, April 13, 2026
- 5.7 — Fallon, July 6, 1954
- 5.7 — Rachel, Feb. 28, 1975
- 5.7 — Rachel, Dec. 20, 1975
- 5.7 — Goldfield, Aug. 1, 1999
- 5.65 — Caliente, Aug. 16, 1966
- 5.63 — Excelsior Mountains, Jan. 30, 1934
- 5.6 — Owyhee, Aug. 3, 1916
- 5.6 — Hawthorne, Dec. 28, 2016
- 5.6 — Hawthorne, Dec. 28, 2016
- 5.6 — Dyer, July 21, 1982
Brett McGinness is the engagement editor for the Reno Gazette Journal. He’s also the writer of The Reno Memo — a free newsletter about news in the Biggest Little City. Subscribe to the newsletter right here. Consider supporting the Reno Gazette Journal, too.
