Location:

Period:

23 Aug 2024 13:38:43 - 26 Aug 2024 08:22:52 (2 days 18 hours 44 minutes)

Volcanoes in 100km radius:

Mono Lake Volcanic Field(85km), Soda Lakes(98km)

Earthquakes:

16 swarms found nearby.

2011

S20110123.1(20.3km)

22 Jan

14 hours

27 earthquakes

2012

S20120819.1(29.5km)

18 Aug

2 days 8 hours

45 earthquakes

2014

S20140114.1(10.3km)

13 Jan

16 days 23 hours

461 earthquakes

S20140421.1(17.6km)

20 Apr

1 day 6 hours

28 earthquakes

S20140426.1(15.3km)

25 Apr

6 days 3 hours

211 earthquakes

2015

S20150908.1(20.6km)

7 Sep

6 days 0 hours

146 earthquakes

S20150911.1(18.1km)

11 Sep

2 days 20 hours

39 earthquakes

S20151218.1(16.7km)

17 Dec

18 hours

29 earthquakes

2016

S20160110.1(19.4km)

9 Jan

10 days 10 hours

116 earthquakes

S20160130.1(25.0km)

30 Jan

1 day 7 hours

28 earthquakes

S20160321.1(27.4km)

21 Mar

17 days 6 hours

779 earthquakes

S20160323.1(20.5km)

22 Mar

1 day 20 hours

34 earthquakes

S20160708.1(20.2km)

7 Jul

5 days 8 hours

76 earthquakes

S20160927.1(29.5km)

26 Sep

3 days 15 hours

44 earthquakes

2017

S20170102.1(8.6km)

2 Jan

1 day 10 hours

31 earthquakes

2018

S20180729.1(4.1km)

29 Jul

5 days 5 hours

96 earthquakes

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Seismic Swarm Near Walker Lake, Nevada: Analysis of the August 2024 Event

A seismic swarm designated S20240824.1 occurred 16 km east of Walker Lake in western Nevada. The sequence began at 13:38 UTC on 23 August 2024 and concluded at 08:22 UTC on 26 August 2024, spanning 66 hours and 44 minutes. During this interval, 51 earthquakes were recorded, with magnitudes ranging from 0.9 to 4.3 and focal depths between 4 and 9 km.

The largest event reached magnitude 4.3 at a depth of 5 km on 23 August at 15:31:58 UTC. Additional notable shocks included three magnitude 3.3 events and one magnitude 3.9 event on 25 August at 05:13:45 UTC. Activity clustered primarily within the first 48 hours, with events distributed across shallow crustal depths consistent with regional faulting patterns.

This swarm aligns with the tectonic setting of the Walker Lane belt, a northwest-trending zone of dextral shear situated between the Sierra Nevada and the central Basin and Range province. The belt accommodates approximately 20 percent of Pacific–North America plate motion through a combination of strike-slip and normal faulting. Walker Lake itself occupies a pull-apart basin bounded by active normal faults that have produced historical surface-rupturing earthquakes.

Seismic swarms are recurrent in this portion of Nevada. Since 1 January 2000, sixteen distinct swarms have been documented in the same locale. These occurred in 2011 (1 swarm), 2012 (1), 2014 (3), 2015 (3), 2016 (6), 2017 (1), and 2018 (1). The 2024 sequence fits the established pattern of episodic, moderate-magnitude unrest without a single dominant mainshock.

Swarm characteristics observed here—tight spatial clustering, rapid onset, and a broad magnitude distribution—are typical of fluid-driven or aseismic-slip-triggered sequences within the Walker Lane. Depths predominantly between 4 and 7 km suggest activation along shallow crustal structures rather than deeper magmatic processes.

Continued monitoring remains essential given the proximity to populated areas and infrastructure corridors east of Walker Lake. The August 2024 swarm underscores the persistent seismic hazard associated with the region’s active fault network.

References
SeismoSight internal swarm classification S20240824.1
USGS Earthquake Hazards Program – Walker Lane tectonic summary
Nevada Seismological Laboratory regional fault database