Location:

Period:

21 May 2023 03:06:38 - 26 May 2023 19:10:40 (5 days 16 hours 4 minutes)

Volcanoes in 100km radius:

Ubehebe Craters(31km)

Earthquakes:

143

5 swarms found nearby.

2004

S20041119.1(23.5km)

19 Nov

1 day 6 hours

26 earthquakes

2005

S20050327.1(10.4km)

26 Mar

1 day 13 hours

36 earthquakes

2010

S20100930.1(23.3km)

29 Sep

24 days 14 hours

754 earthquakes

2016

S20160810.2(8.8km)

10 Aug

5 hours

33 earthquakes

2019

S20190310.1(8.5km)

10 Mar

1 day 4 hours

40 earthquakes

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Seismic Swarm S20230521.1 South of Silver Peak, Nevada

An earthquake swarm designated S20230521.1 was recorded 52 km south of Silver Peak, Nevada, beginning at 03:06 UTC on 21 May 2023 and concluding at 19:10 UTC on 26 May 2023. Over the 136-hour duration, a total of 143 events were detected. Analysis of the first 100 events reveals predominantly low-magnitude activity, with the largest event reaching magnitude 4.2 at a depth of 5 km shortly after initiation. Subsequent events clustered between magnitudes 0.3 and 3.1, with the majority falling below 2.0. Focal depths ranged from 0 to 11 km, indicating shallow crustal sources typical of the region.

The temporal distribution showed the highest rate of occurrence in the initial hours, followed by a gradual decline. Early events included multiple shocks above magnitude 2.0 within the first day, while later phases consisted almost entirely of micro-earthquakes. This pattern aligns with swarm behavior driven by fluid migration or aseismic slip along fault networks rather than a single mainshock-aftershock sequence.

The location lies within the Basin and Range province of western Nevada, an area shaped by ongoing extensional tectonics since the Miocene. Normal faults accommodate east-west stretching, producing a landscape of horsts and grabens. The Silver Peak vicinity sits near the transition to the Walker Lane belt, where right-lateral shear contributes to elevated seismicity. Shallow crustal depths and frequent small events reflect the distributed nature of deformation across numerous short fault segments.

Historical records indicate five prior swarms in the immediate area since 2000, occurring in 2004, 2005, 2010, 2016, and 2019. These episodes underscore the recurrent nature of clustered seismicity in this portion of the Basin and Range, where strain release often manifests as swarms rather than isolated large earthquakes.

References

SeismoSight internal swarm classification data (S20230521.1)
USGS Earthquake Catalog (regional seismicity context)
Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology (Basin and Range tectonic framework)