Location:

Period:

16 May 2014 05:46:15 - 16 May 2014 15:45:08 (9 hours 58 minutes)

Volcanoes in 100km radius:

Mono Lake Volcanic Field(65km), Mono-Inyo Craters(77km), Mammoth Mountain(90km)

Earthquakes:

22 swarms found nearby.

2006

S20060909.2(12.4km)

8 Sep

1 day 5 hours

45 earthquakes

2012

S20120819.1(20.9km)

18 Aug

2 days 8 hours

45 earthquakes

2015

S20150918.1(19.9km)

18 Sep

5 days 5 hours

88 earthquakes

S20151020.1(12.4km)

20 Oct

1 hours

28 earthquakes

2016

S20160130.1(26.4km)

30 Jan

1 day 7 hours

28 earthquakes

S20160321.1(24.6km)

21 Mar

17 days 6 hours

779 earthquakes

S20160411.1(22.2km)

10 Apr

2 days 12 hours

51 earthquakes

S20160927.1(23.5km)

26 Sep

3 days 15 hours

44 earthquakes

S20161204.1(14.3km)

3 Dec

1 day 20 hours

47 earthquakes

2018

S20180207.1(29.4km)

7 Feb

2 days 14 hours

56 earthquakes

2020

S20200308.1(13.8km)

8 Mar

2 days 23 hours

77 earthquakes

S20200318.1(13.0km)

17 Mar

3 days 22 hours

75 earthquakes

S20200516.1(24.7km)

15 May

32 days 11 hours

1150 earthquakes

S20200516.2(29.7km)

15 May

22 hours

26 earthquakes

S20200528.1(28.7km)

27 May

17 days 11 hours

384 earthquakes

S20200615.1(27.3km)

14 Jun

31 days 0 hours

472 earthquakes

S20200708.2(26.2km)

7 Jul

5 days 6 hours

63 earthquakes

S20200726.1(26.8km)

25 Jul

11 days 0 hours

125 earthquakes

S20201211.1(26.9km)

10 Dec

1 day 1 hours

42 earthquakes

2021

S20210101.1(24.7km)

1 Jan

16 hours

24 earthquakes

S20210117.2(25.5km)

17 Jan

1 day 7 hours

25 earthquakes

2022

S20220123.1(0.7km)

22 Jan

6 days 16 hours

114 earthquakes

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Seismic Swarm Near Mina, Nevada: Analysis of the May 2014 Event

On 16 May 2014, a seismic swarm designated S20140516.1 occurred 26 km southwest of Mina, Nevada. The sequence began at 05:46 local time and concluded at 15:45, spanning 9 hours and 58 minutes. During this interval, 55 earthquakes were recorded, with magnitudes ranging from 0.1 to 1.8 and focal depths primarily between 0 and 6 km. The largest event reached magnitude 1.8 at a depth of 0 km, occurring at 09:06.

Earthquake swarms differ from typical mainshock-aftershock sequences by lacking a dominant event; instead, they consist of numerous events of similar magnitude clustered in time and space. This Mina swarm exhibited a rapid onset followed by a gradual decline in activity, consistent with fluid migration or aseismic slip along pre-existing faults. Depths remained shallow, indicating activation within the upper crust.

The region lies within the Walker Lane tectonic belt of western Nevada, a zone of distributed right-lateral shear that accommodates approximately 20 percent of Pacific-North America plate motion. This belt features a network of northwest-trending strike-slip and normal faults superimposed on the broader Basin and Range extensional province. Historical seismicity in Mineral County reflects ongoing deformation along these structures, with the 2014 swarm occurring in an area of known Quaternary faulting.

Since 2000, two prior swarms have been documented in the vicinity: one in 2006 and another in 2012. The 2014 event represents the third such cluster, underscoring episodic swarm behavior rather than continuous background seismicity. No damage or felt reports were associated with these low-magnitude events.

Such sequences provide valuable data on local stress conditions and fault interactions. Continued monitoring by regional networks helps refine hazard assessments for the Mina area, where cumulative strain release occurs through both swarms and occasional larger earthquakes.

References

SeismoSight internal swarm classification records
USGS Earthquake Catalog (Nevada seismicity)
Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, Walker Lane tectonic summary