Location:

Period:

10 Jul 2005 08:26:57 - 11 Jul 2005 07:26:16 (22 hours 59 minutes)

Volcanoes in 100km radius:

Ubehebe Craters(95km)

Earthquakes:

14 swarms found nearby.

2002

S20020705.1(8.6km)

4 Jul

2 days 0 hours

33 earthquakes

S20020727.1(23.1km)

26 Jul

1 day 13 hours

35 earthquakes

2005

S20050622.1(3.4km)

22 Jun

2 days 17 hours

137 earthquakes

S20051208.1(13.5km)

7 Dec

2 days 17 hours

123 earthquakes

2008

S20080127.2(23.3km)

26 Jan

1 day 14 hours

32 earthquakes

S20080210.1(10.3km)

9 Feb

2 days 7 hours

40 earthquakes

2009

S20090314.1(29.4km)

14 Mar

6 days 18 hours

105 earthquakes

S20090430.1(4.8km)

29 Apr

4 days 8 hours

203 earthquakes

S20091114.1(14.7km)

13 Nov

4 days 10 hours

95 earthquakes

2012

S20120604.1(20.8km)

3 Jun

1 day 2 hours

28 earthquakes

S20120616.1(10.6km)

15 Jun

5 days 20 hours

98 earthquakes

2013

S20130518.1(5.3km)

17 May

1 day 16 hours

45 earthquakes

2014

S20140113.1(27.8km)

12 Jan

3 days 18 hours

70 earthquakes

S20140215.1(24.1km)

14 Feb

1 day 14 hours

65 earthquakes

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Seismic Swarm S20050710.1: Analysis of Activity Near Beatty, Nevada

A seismic swarm designated S20050710.1 occurred 36 km east-northeast of Beatty, Nevada, from 08:26 on 10 July 2005 to 07:26 on 11 July 2005. The sequence lasted 22 hours and 59 minutes and included 33 earthquakes. All events were of low magnitude, ranging from -0.7 to 1.4, with focal depths between 5 km and 9 km. The largest event reached magnitude 1.4 at 01:21 on 11 July 2005 at a depth of 9 km.

The swarm began with a cluster of microearthquakes on 10 July, featuring repeated events near magnitude -0.5 at depths of 5–7 km. Activity continued at a steady rate through the morning and afternoon before a brief increase in the evening. A final sequence of three events occurred shortly after midnight on 11 July, including the swarm’s maximum magnitude, followed by a single closing event at 07:26. Depths remained shallow throughout, consistent with activity along upper-crustal faults.

This swarm represents the third recorded swarm sequence in the region since 1 January 2000. Earlier episodes occurred in 2002 (two swarms) and this 2005 event (one swarm). Such clusters are typical of the area’s tectonic setting within the Basin and Range Province, where northwest-trending normal and strike-slip faults accommodate ongoing crustal extension. The southern Nevada region, including the vicinity of Beatty, lies near the transition between the Walker Lane belt and the central Basin and Range, an area known for distributed seismicity and occasional earthquake swarms driven by fluid migration or aseismic slip.

Historical monitoring indicates that swarms in this part of Nevada rarely produce events above magnitude 3.0. The 2005 sequence remained well below thresholds that would generate felt shaking or surface rupture. Depths of 5–9 km place the activity above the brittle-ductile transition, where small faults can host rapid sequences without accumulating significant strain for a larger mainshock.

Continued seismic monitoring in the region supports long-term assessment of fault behavior near the Nevada National Security Site. Data from the swarm contribute to refined models of local stress fields and help distinguish swarm-type sequences from foreshock–mainshock patterns.

References

USGS Earthquake Catalog (events 2000–2024)
Nevada Seismological Laboratory regional reports
Basin and Range Province tectonic summaries, USGS Professional Paper series