Nevada earthquake now measured at 5.68 magnitude, see the latest
A 5.68 magnitude earthquake hit the desert east of Reno on April 13. No damage is currently being reported, but aftershocks are expected.
A 5.68 earthquake struck northwest Nevada at 6:29 p.m. Monday, April 13, according to the Nevada Seismological Laboratory at the University of Nevada, Reno and the U.S. Geological Survey.
The quake was originally reported as 5.4 by UNR’s seismology lab and 5.7 by the U.S. Geological Survey.
Christie Rowe, the director of the Nevada Seismological Laboratory, told the RGJ around 8 p.m. that the latest measurement was 5.68 as they continued to analyze it.
“It was felt by a lot of people over a big area, which is kind of exciting,” Rowe said.
A series of aftershocks was still being recorded hours after the initial quake, the largest around 3.6.
Rowe said the region is likely to feel more aftershocks in the 3.0 magnitude range, and possible larger quakes in the area.
The quake struck around 17.1 miles southwest of Fallon near Lahontan State Recreational Area, which straddles Churchill and Lyon counties about 60 miles east of Reno.
“We are glad to report that so far there have been no significant reports of damages from the earthquake,” Taylor Allison, emergency management and government affairs director for Lyon County, told the RGJ. “Lyon County crews will continue to conduct damage assessments over the coming days to ensure there are no impacts to critical infrastructure.”
The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office and Reno’s National Weather Service said no damage has been reported.
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 — 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 of the RGJ contributed to this story.
Jaedyn Young covers local government for the Reno Gazette-Journal. Her wages are 100% funded by donations and grants; if you’d like to see more stories like this one, please consider donating at RGJ.com/donate. Send your story ideas and feedback to Jaedyn at jyoung@rgj.com.
