Location:

Period:

22 Mar 2016 10:00:45 - 24 Mar 2016 06:37:39 (1 day 20 hours 36 minutes)

Volcanoes in 100km radius:

Mono Lake Volcanic Field(75km), Soda Lakes(96km), Mono-Inyo Craters(97km)

Earthquakes:

14 swarms found nearby.

2011

S20110414.1(26.4km)

13 Apr

51 days 10 hours

3166 earthquakes

S20110629.1(27.1km)

28 Jun

10 days 3 hours

300 earthquakes

S20110715.1(26.4km)

14 Jul

2 days 14 hours

34 earthquakes

S20110817.1(28.8km)

17 Aug

1 day 17 hours

62 earthquakes

S20110927.1(26.0km)

26 Sep

1 day 17 hours

35 earthquakes

2013

S20130726.1(27.6km)

26 Jul

21 hours

29 earthquakes

2014

S20140114.1(24.1km)

13 Jan

16 days 23 hours

461 earthquakes

2015

S20150908.1(0.2km)

7 Sep

6 days 0 hours

146 earthquakes

S20150911.1(29.3km)

11 Sep

2 days 20 hours

39 earthquakes

2016

S20160110.1(1.2km)

9 Jan

10 days 10 hours

116 earthquakes

S20160708.1(0.5km)

7 Jul

5 days 8 hours

76 earthquakes

2017

S20170102.1(29.0km)

2 Jan

1 day 10 hours

31 earthquakes

2018

S20180729.1(24.2km)

29 Jul

5 days 5 hours

96 earthquakes

2024

S20240824.1(20.5km)

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 S20160323.1 Near Walker Lake, Nevada

A seismic swarm designated S20160323.1 occurred 3 km west-northwest of Walker Lake in western Nevada. The sequence began at 10:00 UTC on 22 March 2016 and concluded at 06:37 UTC on 24 March 2016, spanning 44 hours and 36 minutes. During this period, 34 earthquakes were recorded.

The largest event reached magnitude 4.1 at a depth of 10 km on 22 March at 10:00:45 UTC. Subsequent activity consisted primarily of microearthquakes, with magnitudes ranging from 0.4 to 2.8. Depths clustered between 5 km and 13 km, indicating shallow crustal sources. Notable events included a magnitude 2.8 quake at 8 km depth on 22 March at 12:35:34 UTC and several magnitude 1.5–1.6 events distributed throughout the sequence. The swarm exhibited typical characteristics of clustered, low-to-moderate energy release without a dominant mainshock-aftershock pattern.

Walker Lake lies within the Walker Lane belt, a zone of distributed right-lateral shear and extension east of the Sierra Nevada. This tectonic setting accommodates approximately 20 percent of the Pacific–North America plate motion through a combination of strike-slip and normal faulting. The lake occupies a tectonic depression bounded by active range-front faults that have produced historical surface-rupturing earthquakes. Regional seismicity reflects ongoing Basin and Range extension superimposed on Walker Lane transtension, resulting in frequent small-to-moderate earthquake swarms.

Since 2000, ten swarms have been documented in the immediate area. Earlier episodes occurred in 2011 (five swarms), 2013 (one swarm), 2014 (one swarm), 2015 (two swarms), and 2016 (this event). These recurrent swarms suggest persistent fluid involvement or aseismic slip on local fault networks.

The March 2016 swarm did not produce reported damage or felt intensities beyond light shaking near the epicentral area. Its shallow depths and modest magnitudes align with background activity levels observed along the western Nevada seismic belt.

References

Nevada Seismological Laboratory earthquake catalog
USGS Earthquake Hazards Program regional tectonic summaries
Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology geologic maps of Mineral County