An earthquake with a revised magnitude of 6.5 hit a remote area of Nevada on Friday morning, about 225 miles northwest of Las Vegas and near the California border, the US Geological Survey says.
© Nye County Sheriff's Office A still image from a video by the Nye County Sheriff's office of road damage on US Route 95 in Esmeralda County after a 6.5 earthquake that rattled the area in Nevada, on Friday, May 15.
The quake, which was 4.7 miles deep, occurred at 4:03 a.m. local time, the USGS says.
The revised ranking makes the quake the first large one since 1954, said Graham Kent, director of the Nevada Seismological Laboratory.
"As the third most seismic state in the nation, we kind of had a streak of not having big earthquakes for 66 years," Kent said.
"This was a magnitude 6.5, and it was certainly felt in the Reno-Tahoe area, and also throughout the San Joaquin and Sacramento valleys in California," Kent said.
The earthquake was "widely felt," USGS spokesman Paul Laustsen told CNN.
"There have been almost 8,000 'Did you feel it' reports, with people logging into USGS to report it," Laustsen said.
The Nye County Sheriff's office took video of the damage to US 95 in Esmeralda County.
Earthquake near Tonopah upgraded to 6.5; Esmeralda County says several portions of US 95 damagedThe quake, which was 4.7 miles deep, occurred at 4:03 a.m. local time, the USGS says.
The revised ranking makes the quake the first large one since 1954, said Graham Kent, director of the Nevada Seismological Laboratory.
"As the third most seismic state in the nation, we kind of had a streak of not having big earthquakes for 66 years," Kent said.
"This was a magnitude 6.5, and it was certainly felt in the Reno-Tahoe area, and also throughout the San Joaquin and Sacramento valleys in California," Kent said.
The earthquake was "widely felt," USGS spokesman Paul Laustsen told CNN.
"There have been almost 8,000 'Did you feel it' reports, with people logging into USGS to report it," Laustsen said.
The Nye County Sheriff's office took video of the damage to US 95 in Esmeralda County.
© Nye County Sheriff's Office A still image from a video by the Nye County Sheriff's office of road damage in Nevada
"As you can see, the highway has shifted at mile marker Esmeralda 89," Nye County Sheriff Sharon Wehrly says in the video. "A Nye County patrol is on the way to Gabbs to meet with the townspeople, assess damage, and assist them."
Wehrly also said that they have discovered some broken windows in Tonopah.
Esmeralda County Sheriff's Deputy Jacob Stritenberger felt the main earthquake and it was the biggest one he's ever experienced, he said.
Deputies are checking out reported damage on US 95.
"North- and southbound is undriveable around mile marker 89," Stritenberger said. "According to people who called it in, it's buckled really bad."
The epicenter was about 35 miles west of the town of Tonopah, east of the Sierra Nevada range, according to the USGS. The USGS gave an initial report of a 6.4 magnitude.
The USGS said in its aftershock forecast that there will be between 63 and 260 aftershocks with a magnitude of 3.0 or greater over the next seven days. There is a 4% chance of one with a magnitude of 6.5 or more.
Nevada highway damaged by largest area quake in 65 years
This photo provided by the Nevada Highway Patrol shows earthquake damage that has U.S. Highway 95 closed for repairs after a magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck early Friday, May 15, 2020 in a remote area west of Tonopah. Trooper Hannah DeGoey and local sheriff's offices reported no injuries following the 4 a.m. temblor. DeGoey said crews were working to reopen the main highway between Las Vegas and Reno. (Nevada Highway Patrol via AP)
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The cracked main highway between Las Vegas and Reno reopened Friday, 10 hours after a predawn magnitude 6.5 earthquake that a researcher called the largest to strike the remote area of western Nevada in 65 years.
No injuries were reported, but officials said goods tumbled from market shelves, sidewalks heaved and storefront windows cracked shortly after 4 a.m. People from Salt Lake City to California’s Central Valley tweeted that they felt shaking.
Lights swayed at the governor’s mansion in Carson City, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak told reporters. “It woke me up, so it definitely had an impact,” he said.
Nevada Highway Patrol photos showed cracks on U.S. 95 before crews repaired them about 35 miles (56 kilometers) west of Tonopah. A detour to State Route 360 had added more than 20 miles (32 kilometers) to motorists’ trips.
The vast open range east of the snow-capped Sierra Nevada is seismically active, said Graham Kent, director of the Nevada Seismological Lab at the University of Nevada, Reno. He ranked Friday’s event with twin December 1954 earthquakes at Fairview Peak and Dixie Valley. Kent said those temblors were magnitudes 7.1 and 6.8, respectively.
The U.S. Geological Survey reported Friday’s temblor struck just east of the Sierra Nevada. It was initially reported at 6.4-magnitude.
It was centered about 4.7 miles (7.6 kilometers) deep, the agency said, and dozens of aftershocks were recorded. Kent said a 5.1 magnitude aftershock struck about 30 minutes after the initial quake.
"As you can see, the highway has shifted at mile marker Esmeralda 89," Nye County Sheriff Sharon Wehrly says in the video. "A Nye County patrol is on the way to Gabbs to meet with the townspeople, assess damage, and assist them."
Wehrly also said that they have discovered some broken windows in Tonopah.
Esmeralda County Sheriff's Deputy Jacob Stritenberger felt the main earthquake and it was the biggest one he's ever experienced, he said.
Deputies are checking out reported damage on US 95.
"North- and southbound is undriveable around mile marker 89," Stritenberger said. "According to people who called it in, it's buckled really bad."
The epicenter was about 35 miles west of the town of Tonopah, east of the Sierra Nevada range, according to the USGS. The USGS gave an initial report of a 6.4 magnitude.
The USGS said in its aftershock forecast that there will be between 63 and 260 aftershocks with a magnitude of 3.0 or greater over the next seven days. There is a 4% chance of one with a magnitude of 6.5 or more.
Nevada highway damaged by largest area quake in 65 years
This photo provided by the Nevada Highway Patrol shows earthquake damage that has U.S. Highway 95 closed for repairs after a magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck early Friday, May 15, 2020 in a remote area west of Tonopah. Trooper Hannah DeGoey and local sheriff's offices reported no injuries following the 4 a.m. temblor. DeGoey said crews were working to reopen the main highway between Las Vegas and Reno. (Nevada Highway Patrol via AP)
LAS VEGAS (AP) — The cracked main highway between Las Vegas and Reno reopened Friday, 10 hours after a predawn magnitude 6.5 earthquake that a researcher called the largest to strike the remote area of western Nevada in 65 years.
No injuries were reported, but officials said goods tumbled from market shelves, sidewalks heaved and storefront windows cracked shortly after 4 a.m. People from Salt Lake City to California’s Central Valley tweeted that they felt shaking.
Lights swayed at the governor’s mansion in Carson City, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak told reporters. “It woke me up, so it definitely had an impact,” he said.
Nevada Highway Patrol photos showed cracks on U.S. 95 before crews repaired them about 35 miles (56 kilometers) west of Tonopah. A detour to State Route 360 had added more than 20 miles (32 kilometers) to motorists’ trips.
The vast open range east of the snow-capped Sierra Nevada is seismically active, said Graham Kent, director of the Nevada Seismological Lab at the University of Nevada, Reno. He ranked Friday’s event with twin December 1954 earthquakes at Fairview Peak and Dixie Valley. Kent said those temblors were magnitudes 7.1 and 6.8, respectively.
The U.S. Geological Survey reported Friday’s temblor struck just east of the Sierra Nevada. It was initially reported at 6.4-magnitude.
It was centered about 4.7 miles (7.6 kilometers) deep, the agency said, and dozens of aftershocks were recorded. Kent said a 5.1 magnitude aftershock struck about 30 minutes after the initial quake.
State troopers and sheriff’s patrols from Esmeralda and surrounding Mineral and Nye counties checked highways for possible damage. A sheriff’s dispatcher in the historic mining boom town of Goldfield said the 112-year-old Esmeralda County Courthouse escaped damage.
Nye County sheriff’s Capt. David Boruchowitz reported no damage at the Mizpah Hotel and Clown Motel, two landmark businesses in Tonopah, a mining hub about halfway between Las Vegas and Reno.
Keith Hasty, a Tonopah gas station employee, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that groceries were shaken off shelves and that residents said their televisions shook.
Nye County spokesman Arnold Knightly reported broken storefront glass, stress cracks on asphalt streets, loose hanging signs, items knocked off shelves and minor lifting of sidewalks.
“Overall, everything appears to be sound at this point,” Knightly said. “”However, we have learned that other than obvious earthquake damage some damage is discovered later.”
Last July, a 56-year-old backyard mechanic was found dead in Pahrump four days after strong quakes struck near Ridgecrest, California, about 150 miles (240 kilometers) away. Investigators said it appeared a Jeep he was repairing wobbled off its support jacks.
State seismic network manager Ken Smith noted that Friday’s earthquake happened a few miles east of the site of a magnitude 6.2 temblor in July 1986 in California’s Chalfant Valley.
Buckled pavement closed U.S. Highway 95 for repairs after a magnitude 6.5 earthquake near Tonopah, Nev., Friday. (Nevada Department of Transportation via AP)
Larger earthquakes in the region in the last century included a 6.5-magnitude temblor in 1934 and a magnitude 6.8 quake in 1932, the state seismology lab said.
A 6-magnitude earthquake in February 2008 damaged hundreds of structures in the northeast Nevada town of Wells, including its historic El Rancho Hotel and Casino. Officials recently announced plans to restore the hotel.
___
This story has been corrected to reference U.S. Geological Survey, not Service.
____
Associated Press writer Paul Davenport in Phoenix contributed to this report.
The quake's epicenter was located in in Tonopah, Nev., and was felt as far away as Salt Lake City and San Francisco. Image courtesy U.S. Geological Survey
May 15 (UPI) -- A strong magnitude-6.5 earthquake hit west-central Nevada early Friday and was felt as far away as Northern California and Utah, the Nevada Seismological Lab said.
The agency said the quake's epicenter was recorded near Tonopah, Nev., which is about 150 miles southeast of Reno and 190 miles northwest of Las Vegas, just after 4 a.m. It was followed by at least six sizable aftershocks, including one with a magnitude of 5.1 about 20 minutes after the main quake.
The earthquake was measured at a depth 4.7 miles, the lab said, and initially registered a magnitude of 6.4.
The U.S. Geological Survey received reports of the quake being felt as far west as California's Central Valley, Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area, and as far east as Salt Lake City -- which was shaken by a strong magnitude-5.7 earthquake and several aftershocks in March.
In Sacramento, the shaking was strong enough to make the lights sway at the studio of KXTV-TV.
There were no initial reports of damage or injuries.
Nye County sheriff’s Capt. David Boruchowitz reported no damage at the Mizpah Hotel and Clown Motel, two landmark businesses in Tonopah, a mining hub about halfway between Las Vegas and Reno.
Keith Hasty, a Tonopah gas station employee, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that groceries were shaken off shelves and that residents said their televisions shook.
Nye County spokesman Arnold Knightly reported broken storefront glass, stress cracks on asphalt streets, loose hanging signs, items knocked off shelves and minor lifting of sidewalks.
“Overall, everything appears to be sound at this point,” Knightly said. “”However, we have learned that other than obvious earthquake damage some damage is discovered later.”
Last July, a 56-year-old backyard mechanic was found dead in Pahrump four days after strong quakes struck near Ridgecrest, California, about 150 miles (240 kilometers) away. Investigators said it appeared a Jeep he was repairing wobbled off its support jacks.
State seismic network manager Ken Smith noted that Friday’s earthquake happened a few miles east of the site of a magnitude 6.2 temblor in July 1986 in California’s Chalfant Valley.
Buckled pavement closed U.S. Highway 95 for repairs after a magnitude 6.5 earthquake near Tonopah, Nev., Friday. (Nevada Department of Transportation via AP)
Larger earthquakes in the region in the last century included a 6.5-magnitude temblor in 1934 and a magnitude 6.8 quake in 1932, the state seismology lab said.
A 6-magnitude earthquake in February 2008 damaged hundreds of structures in the northeast Nevada town of Wells, including its historic El Rancho Hotel and Casino. Officials recently announced plans to restore the hotel.
___
This story has been corrected to reference U.S. Geological Survey, not Service.
____
Associated Press writer Paul Davenport in Phoenix contributed to this report.
- Magnitude-6.5 quake hits Nevada desert, felt in California and Utah
The quake's epicenter was located in in Tonopah, Nev., and was felt as far away as Salt Lake City and San Francisco. Image courtesy U.S. Geological Survey
May 15 (UPI) -- A strong magnitude-6.5 earthquake hit west-central Nevada early Friday and was felt as far away as Northern California and Utah, the Nevada Seismological Lab said.
The agency said the quake's epicenter was recorded near Tonopah, Nev., which is about 150 miles southeast of Reno and 190 miles northwest of Las Vegas, just after 4 a.m. It was followed by at least six sizable aftershocks, including one with a magnitude of 5.1 about 20 minutes after the main quake.
The earthquake was measured at a depth 4.7 miles, the lab said, and initially registered a magnitude of 6.4.
The U.S. Geological Survey received reports of the quake being felt as far west as California's Central Valley, Sacramento and the San Francisco Bay Area, and as far east as Salt Lake City -- which was shaken by a strong magnitude-5.7 earthquake and several aftershocks in March.
In Sacramento, the shaking was strong enough to make the lights sway at the studio of KXTV-TV.
There were no initial reports of damage or injuries.
Sam Gross, Reno Gazette Journal
10 hrs ago
This is a developing story and will be updated.
© Esmeralda County Sheriff's Office A photo uploaded to the Esmeralda County Sheriff's Office Facebook page shows a large fracture in US 95 caused bya. 6.5 magnitude earthquake.
U.S. 95 to remain closed until 5 p.m.
Update, 9:31 a.m.
U.S. 95 in Esmeralda County is expected to remain closed until 5 p.m. while it's repaired and inspected after it was damaged by a 6magnitude 6.5 earthquake early Friday morning.
Traffic is being diverted around the closure on Highway 360 to Route 6.
U.S. Highway 95 between the U.S. Route 6 junction and U.S. Highway 360, will remain closed until 5 pm today for earthquake related inspections and repairs. https://t.co/AQdAa4GkP9 @EsmeraldaCounty @TonopahNevada @pvtimes @ClarkCountyNV @NHPSouthernComm @NevadaDPS @goldfieldnevada pic.twitter.com/8dH7HYq0Ie— Nevada DOT (@nevadadot) May 15, 2020
In Tonopah, 6.5 quake sent chandeliers swinging
Update, 9:06 a.m.
Lorina Dellinger knew exactly what was happening when she woke up to her house shaking early Friday morning.
As her home swayed back and forth, sending ceiling fans and chandeliers swinging, she ran downstairs to check on her kids.
The ground rapidly lurched for what felt like five minutes, she said. But in reality, Dellinger thinks the shaking lasted a total of 15 seconds.
What she was feeling was Nevada's largest earthquake in 66 years; a magnitude 6.5 temblor epicentered along US Route 95 about 36 miles from Tonopah. It struck at roughly 4:03 a.m.
Her kids were fine, she told the Reno Gazette Journal Monday morning, just a little shaken up. For the next hour or so, her family rode out a series of strong aftershocks — the largest of which measured a magnitude 5.1.
Once the ground began to settle, Dellinger, who's the Nye County Assistant Manager, began thinking about the rest of Tonopah faired through the shaking.
Reports began filing in.
The historic Mizpah and Belvada hotels made it through the shaking fine, and the town's building and grounds crew has been dispatched to check other buildings for damage.
In neighboring Esmeralda County, the quake fractured US 95 in several places so badly the highway had to be closed.
So far, everything in Tonopah appears OK and no injuries have been reported, Dellinger said.
But the crew is still doing checks, and Dellinger has not yet received word on the building she's most concerned about — Tonopah's old courthouse, which is slated for refurbishment but has deteriorated over the years.
Buildings like it — constructed of unreinforced masonry long before modern seismic code — are notoriously unstable when the ground begins to move.
"(Earthquakes) are always a concern because we want to make sure our historic buildings are preserved, and when it's something out of your hands hopefully it's not devastating," Dellinger said.
Friday's earthquake is state's largest in 66 years
Update, 8:41 a.m.
Friday's magnitude 6.5 earthquake near Tonopah is the largest earthquake to hit Nevada since 1954, when a 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit the Fairview Peak area, Graham Kent, director of the Nevada Seismological Lab wrote in an update.
The quake effectively ends a 66-year streak in Nevada without earthquakes in the mid-magnitude 6 range, Kent added.
Seismologists: Aftershocks will likely continue
Update, 8:13 a.m.
Seismologists with the Nevada Seismological Lab at the University of Nevada, Reno says aftershocks could continue after a magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck central Nevada near Tonopah early Friday morning.
Roughly a dozen aftershocks were registered in the hour after the mainshock struck at about 4 a.m. this morning, with six of them registering above a 4.5.
The largest of those was a magnitude 5.1, which hit about 23 minutes after the mainshock, according to a release from the Nevada Seismological Lab.
There's about a 4 percent chance that in the next week an even larger earthquake could hit, the release said.
The quake was recorded about three miles below the surface in a remote area 36 miles west of Tonopah at about 4:03 a.m. and was reported felt as far away as central California and southern Utah.
Light to Moderate shaking was reported to the United States Geological Service in Reno, Las Vegas, Fresno and Sacramento.
Friday's magnitude 6.5 is the largest earthquake to have hit that area since 1934, when another magnitude 6.5 struck 24 miles to the northwest. Just before that in 1932, a magnitude 6.8 struck 30 miles to the north.
The last major earthquake the area experienced was a magnitude 5.1 in 2013.
About two dozen earthquakes in the magnitude 5 range have occurred within 65 miles of this area over the past 50 years, according to Nevada Seismological Lab release.
The quake occurred in the Walker Lane Seismic region, a 60-mile wide zone of active faults that straddles the Nevada-California border. That fault system stretches from the Mojave Desert in Southern California, through the Sierra Nevada, north through western Nevada and the Reno area and back into California.
Fueled by the same tectonic activity that powers the infamous San Andreas fault, the Walker Lane is responsible for the 2019 Ridgecrest earthquake in Southern California and is also suspected of causing a recent magnitude 4.5 earthquake near Carson City.
No significant damage yet reported in Tonopah
Update, 7:40 a.m.
There's so far been no significant damage from the earthquake or its aftershocks in Tonopah, according to Nye County Public Information Officer Arnold Knightly.
Traffic being diverted off US 95 due to earthquake damage
Update, 7:30 a.m.
Traffic is currently being diverted off of US 95 onto NV 360 at Mina, near the reported epicenter of the quake, according to the Esmeralda County Sheriff's Office.
In nearby Hawthorne, no damage from the earthquake has been reported, according to the Mineral County Sheriff's Office.
Quake upgraded to 6.5, several sections of US 95 damaged
Update, 7:06 a.m.
Several sections of US 95 have been damaged by a sizable earthquake in central Nevada early this morning.
That quake, which has been upgraded to a magnitude 6.5 by the United States Geological Survey, struck along the highway between Tonopah and Hawthorne.
Photos of the damage posted to the Esmeralda County Sheriff's Office show a large fracture along at least two sections of the highway.
Another, looking down the road, appears to show where the road had shifted slightly sideways.
The sheriff's office said travelers on US 95 should use caution and expect delays.
Tonopah, NV earthquake aftershocks
Update, 4:40 a.m.
The Nevada Seismological Lab is reporting two more aftershocks near Tonopah both measuring magnitude 5.4.
Nevada earthquake strikes near Tonopah, felt in Reno
Original story
The Nevada Seismological lab at the University of Nevada, Reno is reporting that a magnitude 6.4 earthquake has struck near Tonopah.
The quake struck just after 4 a.m. and was reportedly felt as far away as Reno and Sacramento.
Does being woken up by your dog barking at a shaking closet door, thinking in your haze that it was the other dog scratching herself, then a ghost, then a burglar, before finally going “ahh, it’s an earthquake” count? https://t.co/EkqMp4F7Bs— Colton Lochhead (@ColtonLochhead) May 15, 2020
We felt that earthquake here at our Sacramento office. Anyone else feel it? #CAwx https://t.co/uDfIOXfg8P— NWS Sacramento (@NWSSacramento) May 15, 2020
It's also been followed several sizable aftershocks, including at least three temblors that measured magnitude 4.0, 4.4 and then 4.9.
The magnitude 6.4 quake has been marked as "reviewed" by the Nevada Seismological Laboratory, meaning it's magnitude has been finalized by a seismologist.
The quakes, including the 6.4, are striking in the desert between Tonopah and Hawthorne, near U.S. 95, according the a Nevada Seismological lab map of the earthquakes.
If you felt the shaking, you can submit a "felt report" to the USGS here.
Click to expand
00:09
01:05
HQ
Deadly and destructive: The science behind earthquakes and what makes them so dangerous
——
Sam Gross is a breaking news reporter for the Reno Gazette Journal who covers wildfires, emergencies and more. Support his work by subscribing to RGJ.com.
This article originally appeared on Reno Gazette Journal: Earthquake near Tonopah upgraded to 6.5; Esmeralda County says several portions of US 95 damaged
U.S. 95 to remain closed until 5 p.m.
Update, 9:31 a.m.
U.S. 95 in Esmeralda County is expected to remain closed until 5 p.m. while it's repaired and inspected after it was damaged by a 6magnitude 6.5 earthquake early Friday morning.
Traffic is being diverted around the closure on Highway 360 to Route 6.
U.S. Highway 95 between the U.S. Route 6 junction and U.S. Highway 360, will remain closed until 5 pm today for earthquake related inspections and repairs. https://t.co/AQdAa4GkP9 @EsmeraldaCounty @TonopahNevada @pvtimes @ClarkCountyNV @NHPSouthernComm @NevadaDPS @goldfieldnevada pic.twitter.com/8dH7HYq0Ie— Nevada DOT (@nevadadot) May 15, 2020
In Tonopah, 6.5 quake sent chandeliers swinging
Update, 9:06 a.m.
Lorina Dellinger knew exactly what was happening when she woke up to her house shaking early Friday morning.
As her home swayed back and forth, sending ceiling fans and chandeliers swinging, she ran downstairs to check on her kids.
The ground rapidly lurched for what felt like five minutes, she said. But in reality, Dellinger thinks the shaking lasted a total of 15 seconds.
What she was feeling was Nevada's largest earthquake in 66 years; a magnitude 6.5 temblor epicentered along US Route 95 about 36 miles from Tonopah. It struck at roughly 4:03 a.m.
Her kids were fine, she told the Reno Gazette Journal Monday morning, just a little shaken up. For the next hour or so, her family rode out a series of strong aftershocks — the largest of which measured a magnitude 5.1.
Once the ground began to settle, Dellinger, who's the Nye County Assistant Manager, began thinking about the rest of Tonopah faired through the shaking.
Reports began filing in.
The historic Mizpah and Belvada hotels made it through the shaking fine, and the town's building and grounds crew has been dispatched to check other buildings for damage.
In neighboring Esmeralda County, the quake fractured US 95 in several places so badly the highway had to be closed.
So far, everything in Tonopah appears OK and no injuries have been reported, Dellinger said.
But the crew is still doing checks, and Dellinger has not yet received word on the building she's most concerned about — Tonopah's old courthouse, which is slated for refurbishment but has deteriorated over the years.
Buildings like it — constructed of unreinforced masonry long before modern seismic code — are notoriously unstable when the ground begins to move.
"(Earthquakes) are always a concern because we want to make sure our historic buildings are preserved, and when it's something out of your hands hopefully it's not devastating," Dellinger said.
Friday's earthquake is state's largest in 66 years
Update, 8:41 a.m.
Friday's magnitude 6.5 earthquake near Tonopah is the largest earthquake to hit Nevada since 1954, when a 7.1 magnitude earthquake hit the Fairview Peak area, Graham Kent, director of the Nevada Seismological Lab wrote in an update.
The quake effectively ends a 66-year streak in Nevada without earthquakes in the mid-magnitude 6 range, Kent added.
Seismologists: Aftershocks will likely continue
Update, 8:13 a.m.
Seismologists with the Nevada Seismological Lab at the University of Nevada, Reno says aftershocks could continue after a magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck central Nevada near Tonopah early Friday morning.
Roughly a dozen aftershocks were registered in the hour after the mainshock struck at about 4 a.m. this morning, with six of them registering above a 4.5.
The largest of those was a magnitude 5.1, which hit about 23 minutes after the mainshock, according to a release from the Nevada Seismological Lab.
There's about a 4 percent chance that in the next week an even larger earthquake could hit, the release said.
The quake was recorded about three miles below the surface in a remote area 36 miles west of Tonopah at about 4:03 a.m. and was reported felt as far away as central California and southern Utah.
Light to Moderate shaking was reported to the United States Geological Service in Reno, Las Vegas, Fresno and Sacramento.
Friday's magnitude 6.5 is the largest earthquake to have hit that area since 1934, when another magnitude 6.5 struck 24 miles to the northwest. Just before that in 1932, a magnitude 6.8 struck 30 miles to the north.
The last major earthquake the area experienced was a magnitude 5.1 in 2013.
About two dozen earthquakes in the magnitude 5 range have occurred within 65 miles of this area over the past 50 years, according to Nevada Seismological Lab release.
The quake occurred in the Walker Lane Seismic region, a 60-mile wide zone of active faults that straddles the Nevada-California border. That fault system stretches from the Mojave Desert in Southern California, through the Sierra Nevada, north through western Nevada and the Reno area and back into California.
Fueled by the same tectonic activity that powers the infamous San Andreas fault, the Walker Lane is responsible for the 2019 Ridgecrest earthquake in Southern California and is also suspected of causing a recent magnitude 4.5 earthquake near Carson City.
No significant damage yet reported in Tonopah
Update, 7:40 a.m.
There's so far been no significant damage from the earthquake or its aftershocks in Tonopah, according to Nye County Public Information Officer Arnold Knightly.
Traffic being diverted off US 95 due to earthquake damage
Update, 7:30 a.m.
Traffic is currently being diverted off of US 95 onto NV 360 at Mina, near the reported epicenter of the quake, according to the Esmeralda County Sheriff's Office.
In nearby Hawthorne, no damage from the earthquake has been reported, according to the Mineral County Sheriff's Office.
Quake upgraded to 6.5, several sections of US 95 damaged
Update, 7:06 a.m.
Several sections of US 95 have been damaged by a sizable earthquake in central Nevada early this morning.
That quake, which has been upgraded to a magnitude 6.5 by the United States Geological Survey, struck along the highway between Tonopah and Hawthorne.
Photos of the damage posted to the Esmeralda County Sheriff's Office show a large fracture along at least two sections of the highway.
Another, looking down the road, appears to show where the road had shifted slightly sideways.
The sheriff's office said travelers on US 95 should use caution and expect delays.
Tonopah, NV earthquake aftershocks
Update, 4:40 a.m.
The Nevada Seismological Lab is reporting two more aftershocks near Tonopah both measuring magnitude 5.4.
Nevada earthquake strikes near Tonopah, felt in Reno
Original story
The Nevada Seismological lab at the University of Nevada, Reno is reporting that a magnitude 6.4 earthquake has struck near Tonopah.
The quake struck just after 4 a.m. and was reportedly felt as far away as Reno and Sacramento.
Does being woken up by your dog barking at a shaking closet door, thinking in your haze that it was the other dog scratching herself, then a ghost, then a burglar, before finally going “ahh, it’s an earthquake” count? https://t.co/EkqMp4F7Bs— Colton Lochhead (@ColtonLochhead) May 15, 2020
We felt that earthquake here at our Sacramento office. Anyone else feel it? #CAwx https://t.co/uDfIOXfg8P— NWS Sacramento (@NWSSacramento) May 15, 2020
It's also been followed several sizable aftershocks, including at least three temblors that measured magnitude 4.0, 4.4 and then 4.9.
The magnitude 6.4 quake has been marked as "reviewed" by the Nevada Seismological Laboratory, meaning it's magnitude has been finalized by a seismologist.
The quakes, including the 6.4, are striking in the desert between Tonopah and Hawthorne, near U.S. 95, according the a Nevada Seismological lab map of the earthquakes.
If you felt the shaking, you can submit a "felt report" to the USGS here.
Click to expand
00:09
01:05
HQ
Deadly and destructive: The science behind earthquakes and what makes them so dangerous
——
Sam Gross is a breaking news reporter for the Reno Gazette Journal who covers wildfires, emergencies and more. Support his work by subscribing to RGJ.com.
This article originally appeared on Reno Gazette Journal: Earthquake near Tonopah upgraded to 6.5; Esmeralda County says several portions of US 95 damaged
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