RENO, Nev. June 27, 2017 – The Nevada Seismological Laboratory reports two local magnitude 4.0 (1) and 4.1 (2) earthquakes in a swarm of 40 located events about 13 miles northwest of Truckee, California. The two largest events were separated by seven minutes. Location parameters for event (1): 39.468 north latitude, -120.349 west longitude, depth of 4.3 miles (7.0 km), at 2:02 a.m. PST, and for event (2): 39.469 north latitude, -120.347 west longitude, depth of 5 miles (8.1 km), at 2:09 a.m. The swarm has included a magnitude 3.2 event and six events between magnitude 2.0 and 2.9.
As of 1:32 p.m. PST June 27, 2017, the Nevada Seismological Laboratory located a total of 40 events in this sequence of earthquakes. The swarm is not directly associated with mapped faults, but occurs in a step-over between the Mohawk Valley and the Polaris fault zones along the eastern Sierra Basin-Range boundary region.
The largest earthquakes were felt in the Truckee, Lake Tahoe, Reno and western Sierra region. There is a slight increase in the probability of a larger event during an ongoing sequence of earthquakes such as this one. The Nevada Seismological Laboratory continues to closely monitor the activity.
“I like to remind everyone that it is always appropriate to make a plan for what to do during a disaster, in this case: secure your home before; drop, cover, hold on during; and assess damage after,” Aaron Kenneston, with Washoe County Emergency Management and Homeland Security Program, said. “Assemble a kit with at least 72 hours of water, food, first aid supplies, flashlight and battery-powered radio in case of utility disruption, and stay informed about our earthquake risks.”
Updated information for activity associated with this earthquake is available at http://www.seismo.unr.edu/Earthquake.
Nevada and eastern California regions have a history of large, damaging earthquakes, and citizens should always consider earthquake preparedness. Residents are encouraged to practice aspects of emergency plans and to “secure your space,” which includes retrofitting buildings to reduce damage and securing things within buildings to prevent injury. For more information on how to prepare for an earthquake, go to www.shakeout.org/nevada or www.readywashoe.com.
The Nevada Seismological Laboratory, a public service department at the University of Nevada, Reno, is a member of the USGS Advanced National Seismic System (http://www.anss.org) and operates a network of about 150 real-time seismograph stations throughout the region providing earthquake information to Nevada citizens, the USGS and local and state officials.