Earthquake Swarm Picks Up Again As String Of Minor Temblors Rattles Reno

[Purveyor]

Associated Press

A months-long swarm of earthquakes picked up again Sunday as a string of minor temblors rattled Reno, causing downtown high-rises to sway and knocking items off walls and shelves.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or major property damage after about 20 minor quakes reported on the western edge of Reno over 12 hours ending about noon.

Magnitude-3.9 and 3.6 quakes struck within a couple minutes of each other shortly before 11 a.m. and were preceded by 3.2 and 3.0 quakes early Sunday, said researchers at the seismological laboratory at the University of Nevada, Reno.

"I was thinking, 'Here we go with the big one,'" said Daryl DiBitonto, a Reno resident who felt the quake at home. "Late in the morning, I thought the whole house was going to come down. Every time I feel a 3, I think it's going to be the big one. Totally, everyone is on edge again."

Diane dePolo, a lab seismologist, said it was the strongest sequence of quakes in the past month and signaled a pickup in activity after a recent lull.

"We had a little pickup in activity on Tuesday and nothing significant until today," dePolo said. "We are monitoring them, but we can't say if it'll get better or worse. There is no way to predict earthquakes."

Seismologists had urged residents of northern Nevada's largest city to prepare for a bigger event after a 4.7 quake on April 25, the strongest in a swarm that began Feb. 28.

AP MORE: http://wiredispatch.com/news/?id=203519

[alfredo]

1. Are we looking at a big shake there?

[Purveyor]

4. I'm not very well schooled in earthquakes but just logic alone would make it seem to me

that all of these 'little swarms' are a good thing, gradually releasing pressure on the faultlines, verus all the energy being released at once.

I'm much better with tornados and hurricanes.

[kestrel91316]

6. We had about five years of smaller (moderately large) quakes

between Whittier (1989?) and Northridge, ending of course with that 6.7 in 1994. Virtually nothing here since. I considered them foreshocks of a sort.

So this Reno cluster makes me nervous. Glad I don't live there.

[alfredo]

7. Reno doesn't need that. How many buildings there are built with

withstanding earthquakes in mind?

[kestrel91316]

11. Um, none would be my guess. I know. I'm such a killjoy......

[alfredo]

12. It won't take much shaking to find out.

[newmajority]

2. Underground weapons tests at Area 51?

:shrug:

[TomInTib]

3. Two friends of mine drove to Reno yesterday to repair damage from....

the last go-round.

[Canuckistanian]

5. Has there been a spike in earthquakes worldwide?

I seem to be hearing about a lot of them lately, from China to Greece to Nevada.

Is there a chart somewhere showing the frequency of 5+ magnitude earthquakes?

[alfredo]

8. It seems to be constant. USGS has a per year chart. Google

Earthquakes per year. You will find a chart cataloging 7.0 quakes since 1900.

[Canuckistanian]

9. Thanks n/t

[alfredo]

10. We had a 5.1 here in Central Ky back in 1980. It was like someone

was moving heavy furniture up in the attic. I noticed the noise more than movement.