Location:

Period:

9 Dec 2008 05:12:59 - 13 Dec 2008 00:30:31 (3 days 19 hours 17 minutes)

Volcanoes in 100km radius:

Ubehebe Craters(66km)

Earthquakes:

9 swarms found nearby.

2002

S20020705.1(24.7km)

4 Jul

2 days 0 hours

33 earthquakes

S20020727.1(25.6km)

26 Jul

1 day 13 hours

35 earthquakes

2009

S20090314.1(3.8km)

14 Mar

6 days 18 hours

105 earthquakes

S20090730.1(20.4km)

29 Jul

2 days 2 hours

46 earthquakes

S20090811.1(21.1km)

10 Aug

2 days 7 hours

47 earthquakes

S20090824.1(22.8km)

24 Aug

1 day 21 hours

100 earthquakes

2013

S20130518.1(29.2km)

17 May

1 day 16 hours

45 earthquakes

2014

S20140113.1(25.4km)

12 Jan

3 days 18 hours

70 earthquakes

S20140215.1(29.1km)

14 Feb

1 day 14 hours

65 earthquakes

AI-generated article — for informational and entertainment purposes only. May contain inaccuracies. Full disclaimerFound an error?

Seismic Swarm S20081209.1: Analysis of Microearthquake Activity Near Beatty, Nevada

Seismic swarm S20081209.1 occurred 6 km northeast of Beatty, Nevada, from 05:12 on 9 December 2008 to 00:30 on 13 December 2008. Over 91 hours and 17 minutes, the sequence registered 70 earthquakes. This event provides a clear example of swarm behavior in the Basin and Range Province, where clusters of low-magnitude events occur without a distinct mainshock.

The swarm exhibited predominantly shallow focal depths between 0 and 5 km. Magnitudes ranged from -0.4 to 1.3, with the majority of events falling below 0.5. The largest event, magnitude 1.3, took place on 9 December at 14:54:28. Activity was most intense during the first 24 hours, featuring frequent events with magnitudes near or below zero, followed by a gradual decline through 12 December. The final recorded event measured magnitude -0.2 at 00:30:31 on 13 December.

Such swarms reflect the extensional tectonic regime of southwestern Nevada. Beatty lies within the Amargosa Desert, where normal faulting accommodates regional crustal stretching. The local geology consists of Tertiary volcanic and sedimentary rocks overlying Precambrian basement, with numerous Quaternary faults capable of producing microseismicity. Shallow depths recorded in the swarm align with known brittle failure zones in this area.

Historical records indicate two swarms in the region since 1 January 2000, with the first occurring in 2002. Swarm S20081209.1 represents the second documented episode, underscoring episodic clustered seismicity rather than isolated mainshock-aftershock sequences.

The provided event catalog shows consistent patterns of low-energy release distributed across multiple hours, typical of fluid-influenced or fault-zone swarm activity in volcanic-influenced basins. No events exceeded magnitude 2.0, confirming the microseismic character of the sequence.

References

SeismoSight internal swarm classification S20081209.1
United States Geological Survey Earthquake Catalog
Nevada Seismological Laboratory regional reports