Shallow M5.7 Earthquake hit near Reno in The United States on Monday Afternoon.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on December 9th, 2024. Last updated January 15th, 2025.

Under land 49 miles from Reno in The United States, a shallow and significant M5.7 earthquake occurred in the afternoon of Monday December 9th, 2024. Around 2.8 million people have been exposed to shaking.

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Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in The United States, 49 miles (79 km) east-southeast of Reno in Nevada. The center of this earthquake had a very shallow depth of 6 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Dec 9, 2024 03:08PM (Los Angeles Time) - Dec 9, 2024 23:08 Universal Time.
Location:	49 mi ESE of Reno, Nevada, The United States. Coordinates 39°10'3"N 119°1'26"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 5.7 Detected by 31 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.2 .
Depth:	6 mi (9 km) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VII Very Strong 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 98% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact.

Roughly 2.8 million people exposed to shaking

This earthquake may have been felt by around 2.8 million people. That is the expected population size of the area exposed to a level of shaking of II or higher on the Modified Mercalli scale according to the USGS.

The highest earthquake impact level for this earthquake is VII, which corresponds with very strong shaking and likely moderate damage. Roughly 40 people are expected to be exposed to this level. The majority of people (roughly 2.1 million) live in an area exposed to level III, where weak shaking and probably no damage is expected.

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in The United States . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Fernley in Nevada, The United States. Fernley is located 33 miles (53 km) south-southeast of the epicenter. The intensity of shaking and damage in Fernley is estimated to be around level IV on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale (light shaking, likely no damage).

Multiple major population centers exist within 300km of the earthquake that struck today. Reno is located 49 mi to the west-northwest and experienced an intensity of IV (light shaking, likely no damage). Sacramento is located 139 mi to the west-southwest (intensity unknown, possibly low). Fresno is located 172 mi to the south-southwest (intensity unknown, possibly low).

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

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 VII.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

44 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 44 smaller aftershocks. At a distance of 0.1 mi (0.2 km) north-east of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 2 hrs later. It measured a magnitude of 4.2

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

Aftershocks are usually at least 1 order of magnitude less strong than main shocks. The more time passes, the smaller the chance and likely strength of any potential aftershocks.

In only six percent of cases, significant earthquakes are followed by a larger main shock, making the current earthquake a foreshock. While the chance of this happening is not so large, it is adviced to maintain cautiousness in the hours and days following a major earthquake.

This is the strongest earthquake in 3 years

Earthquakes of this strength are not so common in the region, but it's not the first time. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since July 8th, 2021, when a 6 magnitude earthquake hit 52 mi (84 km) further south-southwest. An even stronger magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck on May 15th, 2020.

In total, 2 earthquakes with a magnitude of 5.7 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 5 years.

Tsunami very unlikely

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

Sources

Last updated 15/01/25 01:58 (). 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.

1. US Geographic Society (USGS): Earthquake nn00888580
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20241209_0000425
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

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