Thread: Nevada Quakes

5.3-Magnitude Earthquake Shakes Eastern Nevada, Including Las Vegas
By Sean Breslin - Published May 22 2015 05:52 PM EDT

A 5.3-magnitude earthquake shook eastern Nevada just before noon local time Friday morning, surprising many residents and Las Vegas tourists who claimed they felt the tremor.

The quake was downgraded to 5.3 from 5.4 earlier and was centered 24 miles south-southwest of Caliente, Nevada, near the border shared by Nevada, Utah and Arizona, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The temblor occurred just 2.6 miles below the surface. The epicenter was about 90 miles north of Las Vegas.

A trooper discovered an exaggerated separation in one of the seams on a ramp transitioning from Interstate 95 southbound toward the I-15 southbound, Nevada Highway Patrol trooper Loy Hixson told The Weather Channel. The ramp had to be closed as a result and extended delays are expected. Hixson added it may take days or even weeks for the ramp reopen, depending on an assessment from Carson City, Nevada, professionals.

This is the strongest earthquake to hit Nevada since a magnitude-6.0 temblor hit northeast Nevada on Feb. 21, 2008, injuring three and damaging hundreds of buildings, according to weather.com senior meteorologist Nick Wiltgen. It was also the strongest earthquake with an epicenter on land anywhere in the contiguous United States in 2015 so far, Wiltgen added.

Several aftershocks followed the initial quake, but none so far have been stronger than 3.8. The initial tremor was also felt in southern Utah, but there were no reports of injuries or damage there, NBC News reported.

There were no immediate reports of injuries from the earthquake, but social media erupted with commentary from Las Vegans who were shaken during the event.

http://www.weather.com/news/news/eas...2_nontwcplayer