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Note:This page contains AI-generated content for informational and entertainment purposes only. It may contain inaccuracies. Raw event data is from USGS and EMSC. All statistics, lists, and derived information are generated by this site. Full disclaimerFound an error?
Location:
22 km ESE of Hawthorne, Nevada
Period:
21 Mar 2016 07:37:10 - 7 Apr 2016 13:37:58 (17 days 6 hours)
Volcanoes in 100km radius:
Mono Lake Volcanic Field(77km), Mono-Inyo Craters(93km)
Earthquakes:
779
20 swarms found nearby.
2006
S20060909.2(27.7km)
8 Sep
1 day 5 hours
45 earthquakes
2011
22 Jan
14 hours
27 earthquakes
2012
18 Aug
2 days 8 hours
45 earthquakes
2014
S20140114.1(18.3km)
13 Jan
16 days 23 hours
461 earthquakes
20 Apr
1 day 6 hours
28 earthquakes
S20140426.1(12.3km)
25 Apr
6 days 3 hours
211 earthquakes
S20140516.1(24.6km)
16 May
9 hours
55 earthquakes
2015
S20150911.1(12.5km)
11 Sep
2 days 20 hours
39 earthquakes
18 Sep
5 days 5 hours
88 earthquakes
S20151020.1(25.0km)
20 Oct
1 hours
28 earthquakes
S20151218.1(11.6km)
17 Dec
18 hours
29 earthquakes
2016
30 Jan
1 day 7 hours
28 earthquakes
S20160411.1(21.2km)
10 Apr
2 days 12 hours
51 earthquakes
26 Sep
3 days 15 hours
44 earthquakes
S20161204.1(10.3km)
3 Dec
1 day 20 hours
47 earthquakes
2017
S20170102.1(25.9km)
2 Jan
1 day 10 hours
31 earthquakes
2018
S20180729.1(27.6km)
29 Jul
5 days 5 hours
96 earthquakes
2022
S20220123.1(24.0km)
22 Jan
6 days 16 hours
114 earthquakes
2023
S20230716.1(20.6km)
15 Jul
2 days 13 hours
50 earthquakes
2024
S20240824.1(27.4km)
23 Aug
2 days 18 hours
51 earthquakes
AI-generated article — for informational and entertainment purposes only. May contain inaccuracies. Full disclaimerFound an error?

Seismic Swarm S20160321.1 Near Hawthorne, Nevada

Seismic swarm S20160321.1 occurred 22 km east-southeast of Hawthorne, Nevada, beginning at 07:37 UTC on 21 March 2016 and concluding at 13:37 UTC on 7 April 2016. Over 414 hours, the swarm produced 779 earthquakes. This sequence is consistent with the region's tectonic setting within the Walker Lane belt, a zone of distributed right-lateral shear and extension that accommodates a portion of the Pacific-North America plate motion.

The first 100 events provide a representative view of swarm behavior. The sequence initiated with a magnitude 4.3 earthquake at 9 km depth. Subsequent events were predominantly smaller, with magnitudes clustered below 1.0 and focal depths mostly between 2 km and 5 km. Several events reached magnitudes of 2.0–3.4, including a 3.3 quake at 5 km depth and a 3.4 event at 4 km depth. Depths ranged from surface-near (0 km) to a maximum of 9 km, reflecting brittle failure within the shallow crust typical of Basin and Range normal faulting.

Hawthorne lies in Mineral County within the western Great Basin. The area experiences active extensional tectonics driven by northwest-directed shear along the Walker Lane and associated normal faults. Historical records document recurrent seismic swarms in this corridor, often linked to fluid migration or aseismic slip on favorably oriented faults. Since 2000, twelve swarms have been identified in the immediate vicinity, with notable activity in 2014 (four swarms) and 2015 (four swarms).

Swarm characteristics—high event rates, absence of a single dominant mainshock, and shallow focal depths—align with patterns observed in other Walker Lane sequences. The 2016 swarm's duration of roughly 17 days and total event count fall within the range documented for prior episodes in the same locale.

References

  • SeismoSight internal swarm catalog (S20160321.1 parameters)
  • USGS Earthquake Catalog (regional tectonics and historical context)