Location:

Period:

22 May 2018 03:43:13 - 22 May 2018 19:36:56 (15 hours 53 minutes)

Volcanoes in 100km radius:

None

Earthquakes:

29 swarms found nearby.

2005

S20050626.1(29.0km)

26 Jun

4 days 0 hours

149 earthquakes

2008

S20080308.1(17.9km)

8 Mar

2 days 8 hours

85 earthquakes

S20080314.1(19.8km)

14 Mar

26 days 23 hours

841 earthquakes

S20080411.1(21.6km)

11 Apr

55 days 20 hours

13408 earthquakes

S20080608.1(18.6km)

7 Jun

20 days 22 hours

426 earthquakes

S20080712.1(18.5km)

12 Jul

20 hours

33 earthquakes

S20080730.1(15.4km)

29 Jul

4 days 1 hours

76 earthquakes

2010

S20101204.1(29.9km)

3 Dec

1 day 22 hours

32 earthquakes

2011

S20110914.2(28.5km)

14 Sep

1 day 10 hours

42 earthquakes

S20111019.1(29.1km)

19 Oct

4 days 5 hours

106 earthquakes

S20111108.1(27.4km)

7 Nov

2 days 7 hours

43 earthquakes

S20111111.1(29.2km)

10 Nov

5 days 3 hours

128 earthquakes

S20111229.1(26.2km)

29 Dec

3 days 3 hours

89 earthquakes

2012

S20120103.1(28.1km)

3 Jan

3 days 3 hours

69 earthquakes

S20120110.1(27.0km)

9 Jan

6 days 16 hours

139 earthquakes

S20120201.1(28.5km)

31 Jan

3 days 5 hours

62 earthquakes

2013

S20130304.1(26.5km)

3 Mar

1 day 4 hours

32 earthquakes

S20130314.1(5.8km)

13 Mar

1 day 19 hours

44 earthquakes

S20130317.1(4.0km)

17 Mar

1 day 18 hours

135 earthquakes

S20130321.2(4.6km)

20 Mar

5 days 20 hours

251 earthquakes

S20130325.1(29.9km)

24 Mar

1 day 1 hours

36 earthquakes

S20130728.1(10.6km)

27 Jul

1 day 0 hours

25 earthquakes

S20130731.1(14.8km)

31 Jul

2 days 18 hours

57 earthquakes

2014

S20140619.1(9.8km)

19 Jun

1 day 17 hours

115 earthquakes

2018

S20180528.1(29.3km)

27 May

20 hours

24 earthquakes

2019

S20190619.1(22.9km)

19 Jun

1 day 5 hours

103 earthquakes

S20191025.1(13.7km)

24 Oct

1 day 0 hours

40 earthquakes

2023

S20230602.1(8.1km)

1 Jun

3 days 5 hours

45 earthquakes

S20231230.1(23.5km)

29 Dec

4 days 23 hours

117 earthquakes

AI-generated article — for informational and entertainment purposes only. May contain inaccuracies. Full disclaimerFound an error?

Seismic Swarm S20180522.1 Near Cold Springs, Nevada

A seismic swarm designated S20180522.1 occurred 7 km west-southwest of Cold Springs, Nevada, on 22 May 2018. The sequence began at 03:43 UTC and concluded at 19:36 UTC, spanning 15 hours and 53 minutes. During this interval, 26 earthquakes were recorded.

The events exhibited very low magnitudes, ranging from -0.3 to 0.8. Depths varied between 4 km and 15 km, with the majority concentrated between 4 km and 8 km. Activity remained sporadic in the morning hours before intensifying in the early afternoon, with multiple events clustered around 16:00–16:18 UTC. The swarm displayed no dominant mainshock, consistent with swarm-type behavior driven by distributed stress release rather than a single large rupture.

The Cold Springs area lies in western Nevada within the Basin and Range Province. This extensional tectonic regime features active normal faulting and distributed crustal deformation. Regional seismicity arises from ongoing extension between the Sierra Nevada and the stable North American interior, with numerous Quaternary faults capable of producing small to moderate earthquakes. Historical records indicate persistent microseismicity in the vicinity, often manifesting as short-lived swarms.

Since 1 January 2000, 24 swarms have been documented in the region. Notable years include 2013 (7 swarms), 2008 (6 swarms), and 2011 (5 swarms). Earlier activity occurred in 2005, 2010, 2012, and 2014. These repeated swarm episodes reflect the area’s structural complexity and sensitivity to minor stress perturbations.

The 2018 swarm fits the established pattern of low-magnitude, shallow-to-mid-crustal activity. Such sequences typically last hours to days and rarely produce felt shaking or surface rupture. Continued monitoring supports improved understanding of fault interactions in this portion of the Walker Lane transition zone.

Data for this analysis derive from internal SeismoSight classifications. Geological context is drawn from standard references on Basin and Range tectonics.