Earthquakes Shake Reno, Bigger Quake Could be Coming

Two moderate earthquakes shook the Mogul-Somerset area just west of Reno, Nev., on April 24, 2008, according to the Nevada Seismological Laboratory. While there were no immediate reports of damage, the laboratory predicts aftershocks will continue to be felt for several days, based on the magnitude of the quakes — the greatest measured 4.1 magnitude.

The laboratory indicated the quakes are part of a continuing a series of earthquakes that began on Feb. 28, 2008. “The activity west of Reno is unusual in that the largest earthquakes of the series have been the latest to occur. This is out of the normal pattern of mainshock followed by smaller aftershocks, such as has occurred with the Wells, Nev., earthquake of Feb. 21, 2008. There is no known connection between the two,” it said.

Based on the persistence of the earthquake series, the laboratory indicated there was a slightly higher probability for a significant future earthquake in the area. The laboratory ranks Nevada as the third most active state for earthquake activity in the nation.

“A magnitude 6 quake wouldn’t be a scientific surprise,” John Anderson, director of the seismological lab, said

The Nevada Seismological Laboratory is the lead agency for monitoring earthquakes in the western Great Basin, and part of the nationwide monitoring program with primary support from the U.S. Geological Survey.

For information, visit the Nevada Seismological Web site at http://www.seismo.unr.edu.

Earthquake preparedness information is available from the U.S. Geological Survey: http://earth quake.usgs.gov/learning/preparedness.php and http://quake.usgs.gov/prepare/prepare.html.

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Nevada