Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2014 | 7 p.m.
A swarm of earthquakes in northwestern Nevada since July has slightly heightened the chance of a larger earthquake in the area, according to the Nevada Seismological Laboratory at UNR.
The lab said Wednesday in a news release that the activity, located about 40 miles southeast of Lakeview, Ore., and 40 miles northeast of Cedarville, Calif., in a sparsely populated area, has recently increased.
About 550 quakes larger than magnitude 2.0 have been recorded over the past three months, as have more than 40 events larger than magnitude 3.0.
The area also experienced several quakes magnitude 4.0 or larger last week, according to the lab.
The lab said there is a small increase in the chance of a larger earthquake following any such swarm.
"Whether a larger event will occur in the northwest Nevada swarm cannot be predicted or forecast. However, large earthquakes can happen anywhere in Nevada, and we encourage citizens to take steps for the potential for strong ground shaking," the statement said.
The release compared the activity to a 1968 swarm in Adel, Ore., that caused moderate damage and a 2008 swarm west of Reno that led to a magnitude 5.0 event also causing moderate damage.
The Nevada Seismological Laboratory, U.S. Geological Survey and seismic networks in Washington and Oregon are monitoring the situation, officials said.
Recent earthquakes in Southern Nevada near the Las Vegas Valley have been smaller in magnitude, ranging from a 0.7 quake Friday about 21 miles south of Indian Springs to a 2.7 magnitude quake Thursday morning about 20 miles southwest of Henderson, according to the lab's website.
A 1.4 magnitude earthquake occurred about 15 miles northeast of Las Vegas Tuesday morning just after a 1.0 magnitude quake 26 miles south of Indian Springs about 11:30 a.m.
Join the Discussion:
Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.
Full comments policy