On Tuesday Evening a Shallow M4.4 Earthquake struck near Las Vegas in The United States.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on August 14th, 2024. Last updated September 17th, 2024.

A shallow M4.4 earthquake struck under land 46 miles from Las Vegas in The United States in the evening of Tuesday August 13th, 2024. Shaking may have been felt by a total of 2.3 million people.

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in The United States, 46 miles (74 km) northwest of Las Vegas in Nevada. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 8 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Aug 13, 2024 08:06PM (Los Angeles Time) - Aug 14, 2024 03:06 Universal Time.
Location:	46 mi NW of Las Vegas, Nevada, The United States. Coordinates 36°38'10"N 115°43'39"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 4.4 Detected by 121 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.028 .
Depth:	8 mi (13 km) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	V Moderate On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake, it appears to have occurred under land with a magnitude not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 96% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 2.3 million people exposed to shaking

An estimated 2.3 million have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

Light shaking and likely no damage may have been experienced by an estimated 890 people. At IV, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 1.6 million). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected.

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
431,900	I	Not noticable	None
724,900	II	Very weak	None
1,607,000	III	Weak	Probably none
890	IV	Light	Likely none
0	V	Moderate	Very light
0	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in The United States . Located 33 miles (53 km) north-northeast of the epicenter of this earthquake, Pahrump (Nevada, The United States) is the nearest significant population center. The intensity of shaking and damage in Pahrump is estimated to be around level III on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (weak shaking, probably no damage).

Major cities near this earthquake: Las Vegas is located 46 mi to the south-east and experienced an intensity of II (very weak shaking, no damage). North Las Vegas is located 45 mi to the south-east and experienced an intensity of II (very weak shaking, no damage). Henderson is located 58 mi to the south-east and experienced an intensity of II (very weak shaking, no damage).

The table below provides an overview of all places in proximity of today's earthquake. Where available, the estimated intensity on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale in each place is included. Places where this information is omitted likely experienced little impact.

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
33 mi (53 km) SSW from epicenter	Pahrump Nevada, The United States.	III Weak
42 mi (68 km) SSE from epicenter	Summerlin South Nevada, The United States.	III Weak
45 mi (73 km) SE from epicenter	North Las Vegas Nevada, The United States.	II Weak
45 mi (73 km) SE from epicenter	Spring Valley Nevada, The United States.	III Weak
46 mi (74 km) SE from epicenter	Las Vegas Nevada, The United States.	II Weak
47 mi (75 km) SE from epicenter	Sunrise Manor Nevada, The United States.	II Weak
48 mi (78 km) SE from epicenter	Winchester Nevada, The United States.	II Weak
49 mi (79 km) SE from epicenter	Paradise Nevada, The United States.	III Weak
50 mi (81 km) SSE from epicenter	Enterprise Nevada, The United States.	III Weak
53 mi (86 km) SE from epicenter	Whitney Nevada, The United States.	III Weak
58 mi (94 km) SE from epicenter	Henderson Nevada, The United States.	II Weak
68 mi (109 km) SE from epicenter	Boulder City Nevada, The United States.	II Weak
93 mi (149 km) E from epicenter	Mesquite Nevada, The United States.	I Not felt
122 mi (196 km) SSE from epicenter	Bullhead City Arizona, The United States.	I Not felt
123 mi (198 km) ENE from epicenter	Saint George Utah, The United States.	I Not felt
127 mi (205 km) ENE from epicenter	Washington Utah, The United States.	I Not felt
129 mi (208 km) WSW from epicenter	Ridgecrest California, The United States.	I Not felt
137 mi (220 km) SE from epicenter	Kingman Arizona, The United States.	I Not felt
140 mi (225 km) ENE from epicenter	Hurricane Utah, The United States.
140 mi (226 km) SSW from epicenter	Barstow California, The United States.	I Not felt
143 mi (230 km) SSW from epicenter	Barstow Heights California, The United States.	I Not felt
163 mi (263 km) ENE from epicenter	Cedar City Utah, The United States.
168 mi (271 km) SSE from epicenter	Lake Havasu City Arizona, The United States.
169 mi (272 km) SSW from epicenter	Apple Valley California, The United States.
170 mi (273 km) SSW from epicenter	Victorville California, The United States.
170 mi (274 km) SSW from epicenter	Adelanto California, The United States.
174 mi (280 km) S from epicenter	Twentynine Palms California, The United States.
176 mi (284 km) SSW from epicenter	Hesperia California, The United States.
179 mi (288 km) SSW from epicenter	Yucca Valley California, The United States.
183 mi (295 km) SW from epicenter	Rosamond California, The United States.

Earthquake Intensity Map

The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is IV.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

3 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 3 smaller aftershocks. Just 21 hrs after this main shock, an earthquake measuring MAG-2.9 was detected 0.2 mi (0.3 km) west-northwest of this earthquake.

Before this earthquake struck, 1 smaller foreshock occurred. Nearby this earthquake a foreshock struck 2 days earlier. It measured a magnitude of 2.5

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Foreshock	M 2.5	2 days earlier Aug 11, 2024 10:22AM (Los Angeles Time)	56 mi (90 km) NE from Main Shock.
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 4.4	Aug 13, 2024 08:06PM (Los Angeles Time)	-
Aftershock	M 2.9	6 mins later Aug 13, 2024 08:12PM (Los Angeles Time)	0.5 mi (0.8 km) W from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 2.9	11 hrs later Aug 14, 2024 07:06AM (Los Angeles Time)	0.5 mi (0.8 km) NNW from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 2.9	21 hrs later Aug 14, 2024 05:03PM (Los Angeles Time)	0.2 mi (0.3 km) WNW from Main Shock.

More earthquakes coming?

Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.

The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk

Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).

Earthquakes like this happen often in the region

Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since July 29th, 2024, when a 4.9 magnitude earthquake hit 131 mi (210 km) further south-southwest. An even stronger magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck on July 6th, 2019.

In total, 94 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.4 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every month.

Tsunami very unlikely

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Factor	Under Sea?	MAG-6.5 or stronger?	Shallow depth?
Explanation	Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami.	Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's.	Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor.
This Earthquake	Not this earthquake. This earthquake appears to have struck on land far from any coast.	Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 4.4. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 8 mi (13 km). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 17/09/24 02:28 (). This article contains currently available information about the earthquake and is automatically composed. We continue to update this article up to a few days after the earthquake occurred.