Location:

Period:

7 Jul 2016 23:14:40 - 13 Jul 2016 07:49:05 (5 days 8 hours 34 minutes)

Volcanoes in 100km radius:

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

Earthquakes:

14 swarms found nearby.

2011

S20110414.1(26.0km)

13 Apr

51 days 10 hours

3166 earthquakes

S20110629.1(26.7km)

28 Jun

10 days 3 hours

300 earthquakes

S20110715.1(26.0km)

14 Jul

2 days 14 hours

34 earthquakes

S20110817.1(28.5km)

17 Aug

1 day 17 hours

62 earthquakes

S20110927.1(25.6km)

26 Sep

1 day 17 hours

35 earthquakes

2013

S20130726.1(27.2km)

26 Jul

21 hours

29 earthquakes

2014

S20140114.1(23.7km)

13 Jan

16 days 23 hours

461 earthquakes

2015

S20150908.1(0.4km)

7 Sep

6 days 0 hours

146 earthquakes

S20150911.1(28.8km)

11 Sep

2 days 20 hours

39 earthquakes

2016

S20160110.1(0.9km)

9 Jan

10 days 10 hours

116 earthquakes

S20160323.1(0.5km)

22 Mar

1 day 20 hours

34 earthquakes

2017

S20170102.1(28.8km)

2 Jan

1 day 10 hours

31 earthquakes

2018

S20180729.1(23.9km)

29 Jul

5 days 5 hours

96 earthquakes

2024

S20240824.1(20.2km)

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 S20160708.1 Near Walker Lake, Nevada

Seismic swarm S20160708.1 occurred 3 km west-northwest of Walker Lake, Nevada, from 23:14 on 7 July 2016 to 07:49 on 13 July 2016. Over 128 hours and 34 minutes, the sequence produced 76 earthquakes. The swarm began with two notable events of magnitude 4.3 and 4.5 at depths of 6 km and 9 km, respectively, within the first 30 minutes. Subsequent activity consisted predominantly of microearthquakes below magnitude 1.0, with depths ranging from 4 km to 13 km and clustering between 8 km and 11 km.

The temporal distribution shows intense early activity on 7–8 July, followed by a gradual decline through 13 July. Depths remained consistent in the upper to mid-crust, typical of normal-faulting environments. No events exceeded magnitude 4.5, and the sequence lacked a clear mainshock-aftershock pattern, consistent with swarm behavior driven by fluid migration or aseismic slip rather than a single large rupture.

Walker Lake lies within the Basin and Range Province of western Nevada, specifically along the Walker Lane shear zone. This zone accommodates approximately 20 percent of the Pacific–North America plate boundary deformation through right-lateral strike-slip and extensional faulting. The regional geology features Quaternary normal and strike-slip faults that cut Miocene volcanic and sedimentary rocks. Ongoing extension produces frequent small-to-moderate earthquakes, with historical events including the 1932 Cedar Mountain earthquake sequence nearby.

Since 2000, eleven swarms have been recorded in the immediate area. Earlier episodes occurred in 2011 (five swarms), 2013 (one), 2014 (one), 2015 (two), and 2016 (two, including the present sequence). This recurrence indicates persistent crustal weakness and episodic strain release along local fault networks.

The 2016 swarm provides insight into swarm dynamics in the Walker Lane. Initial larger events likely triggered subsequent slip on adjacent fault segments, while the prolonged tail of small events reflects distributed fracturing at mid-crustal depths. Such sequences help refine models of strain accommodation and improve short-term seismic hazard assessment in this tectonically active corridor.

References

USGS Earthquake Catalog
Nevada Seismological Laboratory, University of Nevada, Reno
USGS Quaternary Fault and Fold Database of the United States