Location:

Period:

26 Jul 2002 07:50:32 - 27 Jul 2002 21:16:45 (1 day 13 hours 26 minutes)

Volcanoes in 100km radius:

Ubehebe Craters(76km)

Earthquakes:

15 swarms found nearby.

2002

S20020705.1(16.7km)

4 Jul

2 days 0 hours

33 earthquakes

2005

S20050622.1(25.1km)

22 Jun

2 days 17 hours

137 earthquakes

S20050710.1(23.1km)

10 Jul

22 hours

33 earthquakes

S20051208.1(19.3km)

7 Dec

2 days 17 hours

123 earthquakes

2008

S20080719.1(13.7km)

18 Jul

4 days 11 hours

64 earthquakes

S20081209.1(25.6km)

9 Dec

3 days 19 hours

70 earthquakes

2009

S20090314.1(22.1km)

14 Mar

6 days 18 hours

105 earthquakes

S20090430.1(25.5km)

29 Apr

4 days 8 hours

203 earthquakes

S20090730.1(11.5km)

29 Jul

2 days 2 hours

46 earthquakes

S20090811.1(10.9km)

10 Aug

2 days 7 hours

47 earthquakes

S20090824.1(10.0km)

24 Aug

1 day 21 hours

100 earthquakes

2012

S20120616.1(20.1km)

15 Jun

5 days 20 hours

98 earthquakes

2013

S20130518.1(24.2km)

17 May

1 day 16 hours

45 earthquakes

2014

S20140113.1(4.8km)

12 Jan

3 days 18 hours

70 earthquakes

S20140215.1(3.5km)

14 Feb

1 day 14 hours

65 earthquakes

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Seismic Swarm S20020727.1 Near Beatty, Nevada

A seismic swarm designated S20020727.1 occurred approximately 29 km north-northeast of Beatty, Nevada, between 07:50 UTC on 26 July 2002 and 21:16 UTC on 27 July 2002. The sequence lasted 37 hours and 26 minutes and included 35 earthquakes. All events were of low magnitude, with the largest reaching 1.7, and hypocentral depths ranged from 1 km to 8 km.

The swarm events clustered in time, with the majority occurring between 01:00 and 06:00 UTC on 27 July. Magnitudes were predominantly between −0.5 and 1.7, and many events registered below 0.5. Depths remained shallow throughout, averaging approximately 4–5 km. The sequence exhibited typical swarm characteristics, featuring a rapid onset, fluctuating rates of activity, and an absence of a single dominant mainshock.

The location lies within the Basin and Range Province of southern Nevada, a region undergoing active crustal extension. This tectonic setting produces normal and strike-slip faulting along north- to northwest-trending structures. The area near Beatty sits adjacent to the Walker Lane belt, a zone of distributed shear that accommodates a portion of the Pacific–North America plate motion. Shallow seismicity is common, reflecting brittle failure in the upper crust.

Historical records indicate limited swarm activity in the immediate vicinity since 2000. The 2002 sequence represents the sole swarm documented in the region during that period. Broader instrumental catalogs show that the southern Nevada seismic belt experiences occasional clusters of small events, often linked to fluid migration or minor stress perturbations along pre-existing faults.

The 2002 swarm did not produce any reported damage or felt shaking beyond instrumental detection. Its shallow depths and low magnitudes are consistent with background seismicity levels observed across the central Great Basin. Ongoing monitoring by regional networks continues to track microseismicity in this area, contributing to improved understanding of fault behavior and hazard assessment.

References

USGS Earthquake Hazards Program
Nevada Seismological Laboratory regional catalogs
Basin and Range Province tectonic summaries (USGS Professional Papers)