Location:

Period:

11 Sep 2019 09:24:55 - 12 Sep 2019 03:55:28 (18 hours 30 minutes)

Volcanoes in 100km radius:

Soda Lakes(88km)

Earthquakes:

40 swarms found nearby.

2003

S20031003.1(19.8km)

3 Oct

1 day 20 hours

34 earthquakes

S20031009.1(13.6km)

8 Oct

2 days 19 hours

40 earthquakes

S20031123.1(21.6km)

22 Nov

2 days 23 hours

36 earthquakes

2004

S20040603.1(16.8km)

2 Jun

8 days 0 hours

197 earthquakes

2005

S20050521.1(21.9km)

21 May

1 day 10 hours

39 earthquakes

S20050916.1(26.5km)

16 Sep

1 day 12 hours

81 earthquakes

S20050918.1(18.3km)

17 Sep

2 days 13 hours

34 earthquakes

S20051207.2(20.6km)

7 Dec

2 days 20 hours

40 earthquakes

2007

S20070509.1(20.8km)

8 May

2 days 16 hours

36 earthquakes

2008

S20080411.1(28.7km)

11 Apr

55 days 20 hours

13408 earthquakes

S20081121.2(19.3km)

21 Nov

1 day 17 hours

26 earthquakes

2010

S20101204.1(21.1km)

3 Dec

1 day 22 hours

32 earthquakes

2012

S20120408.2(19.8km)

8 Apr

2 days 17 hours

45 earthquakes

S20120623.1(15.5km)

22 Jun

1 day 13 hours

37 earthquakes

S20120627.1(20.2km)

26 Jun

3 days 22 hours

58 earthquakes

2013

S20130325.1(21.4km)

24 Mar

1 day 1 hours

36 earthquakes

S20130605.1(17.1km)

5 Jun

2 days 0 hours

56 earthquakes

S20130617.1(17.0km)

16 Jun

6 days 16 hours

72 earthquakes

2014

S20140404.2(24.9km)

3 Apr

1 day 13 hours

40 earthquakes

S20140623.1(18.2km)

22 Jun

1 day 19 hours

28 earthquakes

2015

S20150127.1(18.4km)

26 Jan

4 days 13 hours

73 earthquakes

S20150408.1(20.7km)

8 Apr

2 days 9 hours

57 earthquakes

S20151018.1(20.8km)

18 Oct

1 day 6 hours

38 earthquakes

S20151223.1(21.4km)

23 Dec

1 day 7 hours

136 earthquakes

2016

S20160319.2(16.2km)

18 Mar

20 hours

29 earthquakes

S20161124.1(16.7km)

23 Nov

2 days 6 hours

34 earthquakes

2017

S20170729.1(15.6km)

29 Jul

14 hours

26 earthquakes

2018

S20180112.1(18.5km)

12 Jan

8 days 3 hours

354 earthquakes

S20180528.1(20.4km)

27 May

20 hours

24 earthquakes

S20180726.1(22.2km)

26 Jul

1 day 8 hours

40 earthquakes

S20181205.1(19.7km)

4 Dec

1 day 21 hours

39 earthquakes

S20181220.1(16.2km)

20 Dec

2 days 19 hours

45 earthquakes

2020

S20200321.1(16.4km)

21 Mar

14 days 4 hours

402 earthquakes

2021

S20210426.1(20.6km)

25 Apr

3 days 1 hours

45 earthquakes

S20210528.2(20.5km)

28 May

16 hours

33 earthquakes

2023

S20230918.1(20.5km)

18 Sep

15 hours

41 earthquakes

2024

S20240126.1(27.3km)

25 Jan

2 days 3 hours

57 earthquakes

S20240129.1(23.1km)

28 Jan

5 days 10 hours

90 earthquakes

S20240214.1(21.7km)

13 Feb

2 days 18 hours

70 earthquakes

S20240721.2(20.1km)

20 Jul

1 day 13 hours

51 earthquakes

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

Seismic Swarm S20190911.1: Analysis of Activity Near Carson City, Nevada

A seismic swarm designated S20190911.1 occurred approximately 10 km north-northwest of Carson City, Nevada. The sequence began at 09:24 on 11 September 2019 and concluded at 03:55 on 12 September 2019, encompassing 26 earthquakes over 18 hours and 30 minutes. Magnitudes ranged from 0.0 to 1.5, with focal depths primarily between 0 and 9 km. The largest events included a magnitude 1.5 quake at 09:58 on 11 September at 6 km depth and a magnitude 1.3 event at 09:53 the same day at 3 km depth. Most activity clustered in the initial hours, with smaller events persisting into the following morning.

This swarm unfolded in a region shaped by ongoing extensional tectonics within the Basin and Range Province. Carson City lies along the western margin of this province, adjacent to the Sierra Nevada frontal fault system and influenced by the Walker Lane belt, a zone of distributed shear and normal faulting. The area's geology features Quaternary alluvial deposits overlying Mesozoic granitic and metamorphic rocks, with active faults accommodating northwest-directed extension at rates of several millimeters per year. Historical seismicity in western Nevada reflects this framework, producing both isolated events and episodic swarms along north- to northwest-striking normal faults.

Swarm activity has been recurrent in the locale. Records since 1 January 2000 document 32 such sequences. These occurred in 2003 (three swarms), 2004 (one), 2005 (four), 2007 (one), 2008 (two), 2010 (one), 2012 (three), 2013 (three), 2014 (two), 2015 (four), 2016 (two), 2017 (one), and 2018 (five). Such patterns indicate episodic fluid migration or stress perturbations along pre-existing fractures rather than mainshock-aftershock sequences driven by a single large rupture.

The 2019 swarm's shallow depths and low magnitudes align with typical background seismicity in the Walker Lane transition zone. No damage or felt reports were associated with these events, consistent with their small sizes. Continued monitoring by regional networks supports improved characterization of fault behavior in this tectonically active corridor between the stable Sierra Nevada block and the extending Great Basin.

References

USGS Earthquake Catalog (earthquake.usgs.gov)
Nevada Seismological Laboratory historical data
Basin and Range Province tectonic summaries from USGS Professional Papers