The March 21, 1953 earthquake
M5.0near South Lake Tahoe, California
A magnitude 5.0 earthquake, centred in El Dorado County. The 451st strongest in California’s record since 1900, and the strongest within 50 miles since a magnitude 5.1 on May 9, 1952.
The earthquake
- Magnitude
- 5.0
- local magnitude (ml)
- Depth
- —
- Not recorded
- Local time
- Saturday, March 21, 1953
- 21:19 PST; 05:19 UTC on Mar 22, 1953
- In California’s record
- 451st
- strongest of 97,065 since 1900
USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, event ushis1886 (“12 km S of South Lake Tahoe, California”). The USGS event page carries the ShakeMap, felt reports and the official summary.
Counties and cities within 50 miles
Distance from the epicentre to each county boundary (zero when inside) and to each city centre.
Counties
- El Dorado CountyCA · inside
- Alpine CountyCA · 3.1 mi
- Amador CountyCA · 9.2 mi
- Douglas CountyNV · 12.7 mi
- Placer CountyCA · 17.3 mi
- Carson CityNV · 20.5 mi
- Calaveras CountyCA · 21.8 mi
- Mono CountyCA · 22.4 mi
- Washoe CountyNV · 24.1 mi
- Tuolumne CountyCA · 26.6 mi
- Lyon CountyNV · 29.3 mi
- Storey CountyNV · 33.8 mi
- Nevada CountyCA · 34.5 mi
- Sierra CountyCA · 43.4 mi
Cities, largest first
- Carson CityNV · 26.4 mi
- South Lake TahoeCA · 7.7 mi
- TruckeeCA · 38.6 mi
- PlacervilleCA · 44.3 mi
Earthquakes around the epicentre
692 earthquakes of magnitude 3 or more within 50 miles of this epicentre since 1973.
Earlier earthquakes of magnitude 5 or more within 50 miles, strongest first
- June 25, 1933M6.1
- February 18, 1914M6.0
- January 11, 1939M5.5
- March 30, 1943M5.3
- December 19, 1919M5.2
- December 17, 1942M5.1
- May 9, 1952M5.1
- April 5, 1915M5.0
USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog. Local time is the time zone of the county nearest the epicentre. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them.