Seismic Activity Near Tahoe: Magnitude 2.1 Shakes Placer County and Douglas County While the tremor registered low on the Richter scale, its shallow epicenter rippled across the Lake Tahoe basin, producing faint ground movement felt primarily in Placer County, California and Douglas County, Nevada.
Weak Tremors Reach Small Communities in Two States
In Douglas County, Nevada, very weak tremors were felt 9 kilometers (5 miles) southeast of the epicenter in Glenbrook, which has a population of 215. Across the state line in Placer County, California, similarly weak movement was registered 12 kilometers (7 miles) north of the epicenter in Kings Beach (population 3,800) and 12 kilometers (8 miles) west of the epicenter in Sunnyside-Tahoe City (population 1,560).
Many Surrounding Towns Report No Felt Effects
While the seismic event was registered nearby, the vast majority of surrounding cities and towns reported no felt effects. Communities falling into the category of Intensity I (Not felt) span multiple counties across California and Nevada. In Nevada, these unaffected locations include Genoa (population 939) in Douglas County, Carson City (population 58,600), Johnson Lane (population 6,490), Gardnerville (population 5,660), Gardnerville Ranchos (population 11,300), Dayton (population 8,960), Verdi (population 1,420), and Reno (population 264,200) in Washoe County. Additional areas where the quake went completely unnoticed include Sparks, Sun Valley, Cold Springs, Spanish Springs, Silver Springs, Yerington, and Topaz Ranch Estates.
On the California side of the region, residents in South Lake Tahoe (population 21,700) in El Dorado County did not feel the tremor. Other California communities reporting no felt effects include Truckee (population 16,300) in Nevada County, along with various population centers in El Dorado, Placer, Amador, and Plumas counties—ranging from Pollock Pines, Foresthill, and Placerville out to major metropolitan areas such as Sacramento (population 524,900), where the minor magnitude 2.1 event produced no discernible movement.
