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Apr. 30, 2008
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Quake experts: Be prepared

Northern Nevada's recent swarm of temblors comes as no surprise to scientists

By SEAN WHALEY
REVIEW-JOURNAL CAPITAL BUREAU
ON THE WEB
UNR Seismological Laboratory

U.S. Geological Survey


Click image for enlargement.
Graphic by Mike Johnson.

RENO -- With more than 600 earthquakes of magnitude 1.0 or higher occurring just west of Reno over the past several weeks, Nevada is experiencing a vigorous seismic event, geologists and other scientists told Gov. Jim Gibbons on Tuesday.

But whether the magnitude 4.7 quake that hit late Friday, the largest so far, was the finale or a precursor to a bigger temblor, officials with the University of Nevada, Reno, could not say.

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    • "Maybe everybody wants to hear me predict an earthquake," said John Anderson, director of the Nevada Seismological Laboratory on the UNR campus. "It's not going to happen. We are not predicting an earthquake, we cannot predict an earthquake."

    The best message to residents of the Somersett and Mogul neighborhoods five miles west of downtown Reno, and residents throughout the state, is to be prepared, the officials said.

    Their advice for those going through the nerve-wracking "Mogul earthquake sequence," which began Feb. 28, was to park a car in the driveway for a quick departure, secure hot water heaters and have some food and water on hand.

    Because one thing is certain: A large magnitude temblor might not happen today or tomorrow or next year, but it will come. And it could hit anywhere in Nevada, including Las Vegas.

    The temblors have sent goods flying off shelves, cracked walls, broken glass and collapsed part of a water flume west of Reno. No injuries have occurred.

    Gibbons said the most important message in the briefing is the knowledge that we live in a seismically active environment and residents should prepare.

    "At some point in the future, whether that's tomorrow or a year from now, we are going to have a magnitude 6 or 7 earthquake here, and we need to be prepared for it," he said.

    Gibbons, a geologist himself, said that Nevada's many mountain ranges did not form without seismic activity, and earthquakes should not come as a surprise.

    "A little preplanning, a little preparation, is going to help not only calm a lot of the fears and anxieties, but it is going to put us in a much better position to deal with events should they occur," he said.

    Frank Siracusa, chief of the Nevada Division of Emergency Management, said the state is prepared to respond to an earthquake or any other emergency. Planning for such events is an ongoing process, he said.

    "We're prepared," Siracusa said. "We can never be too prepared."

    Anderson said Nevada is the second most seismically active state in the continental United States after California, and the frequency of earthquakes in northwestern Nevada is higher than much of the rest of the state.

    Reno had a magnitude 6.1 earthquake hit on April 24, 1914.

    The state averages a magnitude 7 or higher temblor every 25 years historically, but the last one of such a size, a 7.1 magnitude quake east of Fallon, occurred in 1954. So the flurry of activity comes as no surprise to scientists.

    "There's somewhat of an appearance it may be tapering off a little bit," Anderson said of the Mogul swarm. "We don't draw any comfort from that because it's done it before. We just don't know."

    Craig dePolo, with the UNR Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, said scientists do not know precisely why the swarm of quakes is occurring.

    "We don't know what is going to happen," he said. "I've been through a lot of earthquakes right now, and I'm a little nervous."

    But residents can expect more aftershocks even if the shaking is on the decline, dePolo said.

    State geologist Jon Price said Nevada is riddled with earthquake faults, which run alongside just about every mountain range in the state.

    "The big picture is, we have an earthquake hazard throughout the state," he said. "We have seen in the geological past magnitude 6.5, 7 earthquakes pretty much everywhere through the state."

    Anderson said though Las Vegas has seen only a handful of magnitude 5 to 6 quakes in the recent historical record, residents should not be complacent.

    "We know there are active faults in the Las Vegas region," he said. "There is a system of faults that run right through the valley."

    The other reason for not ignoring the potential is because of high seismic activity nearby, such as in Death Valley, Anderson said.

    "You are close enough to Death Valley to have strong shaking from an earthquake there," he said.

    Contact Review-Journal Capital Bureau reporter Sean Whaley at swhaley@reviewjournal.com or 775- 687-3900.

    By SEAN WHALEY

    REVIEW-JOURNAL CAPITAL BUREAU

    RENO -- With more than 600 earthquakes of a magnitude 1.0 or higher occurring just west of here over the past several weeks, Nevada is experiencing a vigorous seismic event, geologists and other scientists told Gov. Jim Gibbons on Tuesday.

    But whether the 4.7 quake that hit late Friday -- the largest so far -- was the finale or a precursor to a bigger temblor, officials with the University of Nevada, Reno, could not say.

    "Maybe everybody wants to hear me predict an earthquake," said John Anderson, director of the Nevada Seismological Laboratory on the UNR campus. "It's not going to happen. We are not predicting an earthquake, we cannot predict an earthquake."

    The best message to residents of the Somersett and Mogul neighborhoods five miles west of downtown Reno, as well as residents throughout the state, is to be prepared, the officials said.

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    Mark S. wrote on May 01, 2008 09:16 AM: "Craig dePolo, with the UNR Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, said scientists do not know precisely why the swarm of quakes is occurring."

    It's called "Plate-Techtonics".


    Planetearthcalling wrote on April 30, 2008 11:16 PM: As I recall, wells nevada got all shook up a couple of months ago and now its moved west to reno.

    Next stop would appear to be san fransisco.

    Can you imagine the boom to our economy putting that humpty dumpty back together again.


    Mr. Nevada wrote on April 30, 2008 05:48 PM: I just hope I'm not in the bathroom when the big one hits. In fact, ever since the daily earthquakes started, I've cut my bathroom time to less than a minute. Before the daily earthquakes, I use to read my morning paper and/or magazines while I was in there, now I don't. Also, I've spent more time outside since that's the safest place to be during a quake.


    Brad L. wrote on April 30, 2008 03:36 PM: While I agree with Free Nevada there is one coming, The San Andreas is the least of our problems. With the Loma Prieta quake in '89 (the one that took out the Bay Bridge in San Fransisco) and Ludlow quake that happened near Barstow a couple years ago (we all felt that one), those were on the San Andreas. That relaxed pressure on that fault line. The one we need to worry about, is the Hayward Fault, which parallels the San Andreas, but on the Oakland side of the Bay. Its pressure was reduced after the 1906 quake, but has been building ever since. It hasn't gone off at all since the late 1800s! If anything, that one will go off, and trigger one on the San Andreas that we'll feel all the way down to San Bernardino.

    We definitely won't be left out of the bump and grind, but when it does happen, at least we'll have beachfront property.


    It will come wrote on April 30, 2008 08:09 AM: Make no mistake. Las Vegas will not be exempt.


    Mama Bear wrote on April 30, 2008 07:04 AM: FREE NEVADA is right on target.

    Something really scarey, but prophetic about the potential destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah on steroids by natural forces.

    Nah. Trump, Adelson and Lanni, and devout politicans will surely think they can leverage (buy) their way out of that. And DOE will just write more dummy reports about Yucca Mountain to convince the Almighty that "their" science is accurate.

    The recent earthquake activity only proves one sound axiom: God is still in charge.


    Free Nevada wrote on April 30, 2008 03:12 AM: "While the San Andreas is at risk for an earthquake of magnitude eight or higher, the San Jacinto Fault has an even greater risk for a slightly smaller earthquake of magnitude seven, which still falls into the category of a major earthquake."

    http://scrippsnews.ucsd.edu/Releases/?releaseID=736

    They stop their impact analysis at the political/ state line (not geographic boundary), but obviously it will level part of Clark County, send any extra rescue units packing down the 15 to help tens of millions of people and potentially worse (namely, damn/sewage ruptures and strip towers built on sand falling over). Still would rather be in Nevada during a 9.0 in Glendora, but we'll feel it alright and the dozens of 6 - 8 magnitude aftershocks


    Free Nevada wrote on April 30, 2008 02:54 AM: I want to buy a $4mn condo on the 65th floor of a building built by tired construction workers in harsh weather conditions, filled with full surveillance equipment there for the benefit of those who want to "win" my money and maintained by folks like those responsible for the recent Harrah's remodling. Where do I sign up?

    For the record, the real concern is that Las Vegas' infrastructure will break when "the big one" (a magnitude 7-10 magnitude quake along the San Andreus Fault) hits, displacing millions of people and changing life as we know it. The poor b4stards who recently immigrated from back East can be excused for ignorance, but the wicked guys who have been here a while and are championing an attempted 'Manhatanization' here in the 'Ring of Fire' really need to be given permanent suites up there on a top floor, right below the cement swimming pools in the penthouses. I mean, if nothing else, did they not see the IMAX show that ran at the Luxor for so many years? You know, the one called 'Ring of Fire', lol.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Andreas_Fault