Shallow M4.9 Earthquake hit near Reno in The United States on Friday Night.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on May 1st, 2026.

In the night of Friday May 1st, 2026, a shallow MAG-4.9 earthquake hit under land 43 miles from Reno in The United States. Roughly 2.3 million people may have felt this earthquake.

Felt the earthquake? Share this article:

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in The United States, 43 miles (70 km) east of Reno 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:	May 1, 2026 01:17AM (Los Angeles Time) - May 1, 2026 08:17 Universal Time.
Location:	43 mi east of Reno, Nevada, The United States. Coordinates 39°18'24"N 119°2'48"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 4.9 Detected by 60 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.2 .
Depth:	8 mi (12 km) A very shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	VI 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 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 90% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact.

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.

Moderate shaking and very light damage may have been experienced by an estimated 5,530 people. At V, it is the highest MMI level this earthquake has caused. The majority of people (roughly 1.5 million) live in an area exposed to level II, where very weak shaking and no damage is expected.

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in The United States . Located 24 miles (38 km) south-east of the epicenter of this earthquake, Fernley (Nevada, The United States) is the nearest significant population center. Fernley experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly IV. That level implies light shaking and likely no damage.

Multiple large cities are in proximity of today's earthquake. Reno is located 43 mi to the west and experienced an intensity of III (weak shaking, probably no damage). Sacramento is located 141 mi to the west (intensity unknown, possibly low). Fresno is located 181 mi to the south (intensity unknown, possibly low).

An overview of nearby towns and cities is available in the overview below. If places don't have intensity data available, it likely means the experienced impact in those places was fairly small.

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 VI.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

4 Aftershocks detected

This main shock was followed by 4 smaller aftershocks. At a distance of 1.4 mi (2.2 km) north of this earthquake, an aftershock struck 2 hrs later. It measured a magnitude of 2.7

In the days before this main shock, 6 smaller foreshocks were detected. A 4.1 magnitude earthquake hit 1 min earlier nearby.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

More earthquakes coming?

The risk of aftershocks decreases rapidly over time. Usually, aftershocks are at least one order of magnitude lower than a main shock.

It's always adviced to be cautious of the risk of a larger shock following any significant earthquake, however this risk is fairly small. There is a roughly 94 percent change that no larger main shock will follow in the days following this earthquake.

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 April 14th, 2026, when a 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit 2.8 mi (5 km) further north-east. An even stronger magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck on May 15th, 2020.

In total, 23 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.9 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 months.

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 01/05/26 12:58 (). 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 nn00916980
2. European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC): Earthquake 20260501_0000115
3. Geonames.org: World Cities Database
4. Google Maps: Static API
5. Earthquakelist.org: Historic Earthquakes Database

Share this article: