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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:
30 km S of Hawthorne, Nevada
Period:
8 Oct 2017 14:24:49 - 11 Oct 2017 17:51:08 (3 days 3 hours 26 minutes)
Volcanoes in 100km radius:
Mono Lake Volcanic Field(39km), Mono-Inyo Craters(57km), Mammoth Mountain(74km)
Earthquakes:
371
32 swarms found nearby.
2001
7 Mar
2 days 6 hours
47 earthquakes
S20010320.1(26.1km)
20 Mar
6 days 14 hours
96 earthquakes
2004
S20040918.1(24.7km)
17 Sep
67 days 17 hours
4783 earthquakes
2006
10 Apr
1 day 8 hours
29 earthquakes
5 May
1 day 14 hours
30 earthquakes
S20060909.2(19.7km)
8 Sep
1 day 5 hours
45 earthquakes
2011
S20110411.1(13.0km)
10 Apr
2 days 6 hours
104 earthquakes
S20110414.1(18.7km)
13 Apr
51 days 10 hours
3166 earthquakes
S20110629.1(17.8km)
28 Jun
10 days 3 hours
300 earthquakes
3 Jul
3 days 20 hours
49 earthquakes
S20110715.1(18.6km)
14 Jul
2 days 14 hours
34 earthquakes
S20110817.1(16.0km)
17 Aug
1 day 17 hours
62 earthquakes
S20110927.1(18.8km)
26 Sep
1 day 17 hours
35 earthquakes
2012
S20120819.1(29.9km)
18 Aug
2 days 8 hours
45 earthquakes
2013
S20130726.1(17.2km)
26 Jul
21 hours
29 earthquakes
2015
S20150505.1(25.1km)
4 May
2 days 22 hours
111 earthquakes
S20150510.1(26.0km)
9 May
2 days 3 hours
35 earthquakes
S20151020.1(19.6km)
20 Oct
1 hours
28 earthquakes
2016
S20160411.1(16.5km)
10 Apr
2 days 12 hours
51 earthquakes
4 Aug
5 days 7 hours
205 earthquakes
S20161228.1(11.0km)
28 Dec
58 days 12 hours
4521 earthquakes
2017
S20170228.1(20.8km)
27 Feb
31 days 8 hours
449 earthquakes
S20170413.1(20.3km)
13 Apr
15 days 23 hours
587 earthquakes
15 Apr
12 hours
83 earthquakes
S20170523.1(20.5km)
22 May
19 days 4 hours
220 earthquakes
S20170721.1(22.3km)
21 Jul
27 days 22 hours
279 earthquakes
S20171020.1(28.1km)
19 Oct
2 days 13 hours
33 earthquakes
S20171021.1(14.3km)
20 Oct
2 days 5 hours
61 earthquakes
2018
7 Feb
2 days 14 hours
56 earthquakes
S20181207.1(26.3km)
7 Dec
1 day 2 hours
33 earthquakes
S20181217.1(26.9km)
17 Dec
2 days 9 hours
44 earthquakes
2020
S20200411.1(25.9km)
11 Apr
33 days 8 hours
1019 earthquakes
AI-generated article — for informational and entertainment purposes only. May contain inaccuracies. Full disclaimerFound an error?

Seismic Swarm S20171009.1 Near Hawthorne, Nevada: Geological Context and Event Analysis

Seismic swarm S20171009.1 occurred approximately 30 km south of Hawthorne, Nevada, in a tectonically active portion of the Basin and Range Province. This extensional regime features distributed normal faulting driven by crustal stretching between the Sierra Nevada and the stable North American interior. The swarm initiated at 14:24 on 8 October 2017 and concluded at 17:51 on 11 October 2017, spanning 75 hours and 26 minutes during which 371 earthquakes were recorded.

The first 100 events displayed typical swarm characteristics, with magnitudes ranging from -0.2 to 1.8 and focal depths concentrated between 5 km and 11 km. These shallow depths align with brittle failure within the upper crust of the region. Activity began with a modest 0.4-magnitude event and quickly transitioned into a sequence of low-magnitude earthquakes clustered in time, consistent with fluid migration or aseismic slip triggering successive failures along local fault networks.

The Hawthorne area lies within the Walker Lane belt, a northwest-trending zone of dextral shear that accommodates roughly 20 percent of Pacific–North American plate motion. This structural setting promotes episodic swarm activity rather than large mainshock-aftershock sequences. Historical records maintained by SeismoSight indicate 26 swarms in the vicinity since 1 January 2000, distributed across the following years: 2001 (2), 2004 (1), 2006 (3), 2011 (7), 2012 (1), 2013 (1), 2015 (3), 2016 (3), and 2017 (5). Such recurrence underscores the persistent strain accumulation and release along subsidiary faults south of Hawthorne.

No surface rupture or damage was associated with swarm S20171009.1, reflecting the limited energy release of its microseismic population. Ongoing monitoring in this portion of western Nevada remains important for refining seismic hazard models, given the proximity of the Mina deflection and the potential for larger events along the broader Walker Lane system.

References
SeismoSight internal swarm catalog (S20171009.1 parameters and historical counts).
USGS Earthquake Hazards Program regional tectonic summaries for the Walker Lane and Basin and Range.