Location:

Period:

1 Feb 2008 05:13:06 - 3 Feb 2008 11:31:13 (2 days 6 hours 18 minutes)

Volcanoes in 100km radius:

Mono Lake Volcanic Field(30km), Mono-Inyo Craters(36km), Mammoth Mountain(50km)

Earthquakes:

16 swarms found nearby.

2001

S20010308.1(28.3km)

7 Mar

2 days 6 hours

47 earthquakes

S20010320.1(6.3km)

20 Mar

6 days 14 hours

96 earthquakes

2004

S20040918.1(18.2km)

17 Sep

67 days 17 hours

4783 earthquakes

S20041214.1(0.8km)

13 Dec

15 days 7 hours

237 earthquakes

2006

S20060505.1(25.7km)

5 May

1 day 14 hours

30 earthquakes

2008

S20080115.1(0.8km)

15 Jan

2 days 10 hours

50 earthquakes

2009

S20090831.1(6.6km)

30 Aug

2 days 4 hours

34 earthquakes

2015

S20150505.1(14.6km)

4 May

2 days 22 hours

111 earthquakes

S20150510.1(13.3km)

9 May

2 days 3 hours

35 earthquakes

2017

S20171015.2(1.9km)

15 Oct

16 hours

26 earthquakes

S20171020.1(5.2km)

19 Oct

2 days 13 hours

33 earthquakes

2018

S20180207.1(28.7km)

7 Feb

2 days 14 hours

56 earthquakes

S20181207.1(19.3km)

7 Dec

1 day 2 hours

33 earthquakes

S20181217.1(19.3km)

17 Dec

2 days 9 hours

44 earthquakes

2020

S20200411.1(10.3km)

11 Apr

33 days 8 hours

1019 earthquakes

2021

S20210115.1(14.3km)

15 Jan

1 day 14 hours

89 earthquakes

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Analysis of the February 2008 Seismic Swarm near Benton, California

The seismic swarm designated S20080201.1 occurred 26 km northwest of Benton, California, in Mono County. It began at 05:13 on 1 February 2008 and concluded at 11:31 on 3 February 2008, encompassing 54 earthquakes over 54 hours and 18 minutes. This sequence exemplifies a typical swarm pattern, with events distributed across time without a single dominant mainshock.

Event magnitudes ranged from 0.4 to 2.8, with the largest shock recorded at 19:32 on 1 February at a depth of 2 km. Depths clustered predominantly between 3 km and 6 km, though a few outliers reached 10 km. Early activity on 1 February featured several events above magnitude 2.0, including a 2.6 at 05:13 and another 2.6 at 03:15 on 2 February. Subsequent events on 2 and 3 February showed a gradual decline in both frequency and peak magnitude, with the final event measuring 1.0 at 11:31 on 3 February.

The region lies in the western Basin and Range province, where crustal extension along normal faults drives ongoing seismicity. This tectonic setting produces diffuse earthquake clusters rather than large single ruptures. Proximity to the Long Valley Caldera, approximately 30 km to the west, introduces additional influences from volcanic and geothermal processes that can trigger fluid migration and associated swarm activity. Historical records indicate the area has experienced recurrent low-magnitude sequences linked to these combined tectonic and hydrothermal mechanisms.

Since 1 January 2000, six swarms have been documented in the immediate vicinity. Earlier episodes occurred in 2001 (two swarms), 2004 (two swarms), and 2006 (one swarm). The 2008 event fits this established pattern of episodic, moderate-rate activity that releases accumulated strain without producing damaging ground motion.

Such swarms provide valuable data on local stress regimes and subsurface fluid dynamics. The shallow focal depths observed here are consistent with brittle failure in the upper crust, potentially modulated by elevated pore pressures near geothermal features. Continued monitoring of similar sequences aids in distinguishing background tectonic noise from any escalation that might precede larger events.

References

SeismoSight internal swarm classification records
USGS Earthquake Hazards Program regional tectonic summaries
California Geological Survey fault and seismicity maps