The map shows quakes of M1.5 and up from the last 90 days, the 8 biggest on record, and always the very latest quake — even if it was smaller than M1.5. The list below can include smaller ones the map leaves out. Tap any dot for details.
In the last 30 days, 18 earthquakes of M1.5 or bigger were recorded within 100 km of South Lake Tahoe, the biggest of them M2.8. Over the past year, M3.0+ quakes near South Lake Tahoe came at 2.9× the usual pace — busier than normal for this area. The biggest quake on record near South Lake Tahoe — records go back to 1980 — was the M6.1 of Sep 12, 1994, 12:23 UTC: 4 km S of Carter Springs, Nevada.
How we figure this: 58 quakes of M3.0 or bigger within 100 km in the last 12 months (Nov 03, 2025 – Nov 03, 2026), compared with an average of 20.1 a year across the full calendar years 2016–2025, counted the same way. This compares how often quakes happened in two past periods. It is not a forecast, and it does not mean a big earthquake is on its way — nobody can predict earthquakes.
Latest earthquakes near South Lake Tahoe
| Mag | Location | Local time | Depth | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M1.6 | 16 km ESE of Silver Springs, Nevada | Nov 03, 2026, 01:57 AM | 11 km | 92 km ENE |
| M1.6 | 1 km NW of Forest Meadows, California | Nov 03, 2026, 01:09 AM | 0 km | 92 km SSW |
| M2.2 | 5 km N of Johnson Lane, Nevada | Nov 02, 2026, 09:41 AM | 9 km | 29 km NE |
| M2.1 | 9 km SE of Dollar Point, CA | Nov 02, 2026, 04:13 AM | 5 km | 22 km N |
| M1.8 | 11 km W of Wadsworth, Nevada | Oct 27, 2026, 09:43 AM | 10 km | 93 km NNE |
| M1.5 | 15 km NE of Yerington, Nevada | Oct 27, 2026, 04:52 AM | 11 km | 83 km ENE |
| M1.6 | 17 km SE of Silver Springs, Nevada | Oct 25, 2026, 10:36 AM | 6 km | 89 km ENE |
| M2.1 | 18 km SE of Silver Springs, Nevada | Oct 25, 2026, 06:22 AM | 8 km | 90 km ENE |
| M1.8 | 19 km ESE of Silver Springs, Nevada | Oct 20, 2026, 06:19 PM | 7 km | 95 km ENE |
| M2.4 | 21 km ESE of Silver Springs, Nevada | Oct 18, 2026, 09:55 AM | 7 km | 97 km ENE |
Earthquakes per year near South Lake Tahoe (M3.0 and up, within 100 km)
M3.0–3.9 M4.0+
Each bar is one year; taller means more quakes (M3.0 and up). The dark red part is the bigger ones (M4.0+), counted inside the number above each bar — not added on top. These may be felt, depending on how far away and how deep they are. 2026 is not a full year yet — it only counts up to today. Source: USGS Earthquake Catalog.
What the last year looked like near South Lake Tahoe
Every quake of M1.5 or bigger within 100 km over the last year — 920 in total. A quake of exactly M2.0 counts in the M2.0–3.0 group.
The 8 biggest earthquakes on record near South Lake Tahoe (M4.0 and up, since 1980)
| Mag | Location | Date (UTC) | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| M6.1 | 4 km S of Carter Springs, Nevada | Sep 12, 1994, 12:23 UTC | 31 km |
| M6.0 | Antelope Valley, CA | Jul 08, 2021, 22:49 UTC | 63 km |
| M5.7 | 2024 Parker Butte, Nevada Earthquake | Dec 09, 2024, 23:08 UTC | 87 km |
| M5.7 | 20 km ESE of Silver Springs, Nevada | Apr 14, 2026, 01:29 UTC | 95 km |
| M5.2 | 19 km SE of Silver Springs, Nevada | May 01, 2026, 08:17 UTC | 91 km |
| M5.1 | 1 km NW of Mogul, Nevada | Apr 26, 2008, 06:40 UTC | 66 km |
| M5.1 | 8 km ESE of Mesa Vista, California | Sep 12, 1994, 23:57 UTC | 30 km |
| M5.1 | 8 km SSW of Kingvale, California | Nov 28, 1980, 18:21 UTC | 54 km |
Nearby places
Minden, NV (19 km) · Tahoma, CA (19 km) · Gardnerville, NV (20 km) · Carson City, NV (32 km) · Truckee, CA (47 km) · Gardnerville Ranchos, NV (22 km)
USGS data fetched Nov 03, 2026, 16:45 UTC · page built Nov 03, 2026, 16:45 UTC. How to read this page: recent-window counts cover M1.5+ events within 100 km; the 10-year layer is based on M3.0+ and the history layer on M4.0+ since 1980. Recording completeness varies by era and region — small quakes from early decades are under-recorded, so “no record” does not prove “never happened”. Depths are relative to sea level and can be slightly negative for shallow events in elevated terrain. Method: data & methodology.