Location:

Period:

8 Aug 2022 20:02:16 - 19 Aug 2022 19:48:22 (10 days 23 hours 46 minutes)

Volcanoes in 100km radius:

Mono Lake Volcanic Field(75km), Mono-Inyo Craters(94km)

Earthquakes:

336

13 swarms found nearby.

2000

S20000926.1(12.6km)

26 Sep

2 days 18 hours

103 earthquakes

2003

S20030713.1(19.4km)

12 Jul

1 day 14 hours

105 earthquakes

2005

S20051119.1(4.2km)

19 Nov

3 days 19 hours

62 earthquakes

2007

S20070309.1(18.9km)

8 Mar

11 days 2 hours

405 earthquakes

2010

S20101031.1(11.9km)

31 Oct

2 days 12 hours

39 earthquakes

S20101116.1(15.1km)

15 Nov

1 day 10 hours

29 earthquakes

2013

S20130124.1(15.0km)

24 Jan

1 day 21 hours

61 earthquakes

2014

S20140530.1(19.7km)

30 May

3 days 11 hours

47 earthquakes

S20140726.1(25.4km)

25 Jul

1 day 5 hours

25 earthquakes

2017

S20170607.1(27.3km)

6 Jun

1 day 8 hours

46 earthquakes

2021

S20210708.2(11.4km)

8 Jul

73 days 11 hours

4214 earthquakes

S20210922.1(12.1km)

21 Sep

21 days 15 hours

354 earthquakes

S20211031.1(3.5km)

30 Oct

2 days 4 hours

33 earthquakes

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Seismic Swarm S20220808.1: Analysis of Activity Near Walker, California

A notable earthquake swarm, designated S20220808.1, occurred approximately 8 km north-northeast of Walker, California, in Mono County. The sequence began at 20:02 UTC on 8 August 2022 and concluded at 19:48 UTC on 19 August 2022, spanning 263 hours and 46 minutes. During this period, 336 earthquakes were recorded. This swarm aligns with patterns observed in the tectonically active Walker Lane region.

The Walker Lane is a northwest-trending zone of distributed right-lateral shear accommodating roughly 20-25% of the relative motion between the Pacific and North American plates. It lies east of the Sierra Nevada and forms part of the broader Basin and Range province. The area features numerous normal and strike-slip faults that contribute to ongoing crustal extension and seismicity. Walker itself sits near the intersection of several fault systems, where historical seismic activity has been influenced by both regional tectonics and proximity to volcanic centers such as Long Valley Caldera to the south.

Analysis of the first 100 events reveals a typical swarm signature dominated by small-magnitude earthquakes. The initial event measured magnitude 1.4 at 6 km depth. A magnitude 4.4 earthquake occurred shortly afterward at 5 km depth, representing the largest event in the provided sequence. Subsequent events ranged primarily from magnitude 0.3 to 3.0, with the majority falling between 0.8 and 2.4. Depths clustered between 4 km and 10 km, indicating shallow crustal sources consistent with faulting in the Walker Lane. Activity showed temporal clustering, with multiple events per hour in the early stages, gradually decreasing over the following day.

Historical records indicate that seismic swarms are recurrent in this region. Since 1 January 2000, 13 swarms have been documented near Walker. These occurred in the years 2000, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2010 (two swarms), 2013, 2014 (two swarms), 2017, and 2021 (three swarms). Such sequences often reflect fluid migration or aseismic slip along faults rather than mainshock-aftershock patterns.

The 2022 swarm's characteristics, including its duration, event count, and magnitude distribution, are consistent with prior activity in the same tectonic setting. No surface rupture or significant damage was associated with this sequence, underscoring the generally low hazard posed by individual swarm events despite their frequency.

References

U.S. Geological Survey Earthquake Catalog (earthquake.usgs.gov)
California Geological Survey, Regional Fault Maps
Nevada Seismological Laboratory, Walker Lane Tectonic Summaries