Northern Nevada: Earthquake Swarm ... (and Volcano?)

I was noticing a (an opinionated) significant swarm of earthquakes in northwestern Nevada. It's located in an area labled as Sheldon Contiguous Study Area.

7 Days, All Magnitudes: 154 earthquakes

30 Days, Magnitude 2.5+: 194 earthquakes

NOTE:

There is a volcanic cone in the southern half.

Friends of Nevada Wilderness: Sheldon Contiguous Wilderness Study Area

An ATS Reference: Volcano Watch 2014

-
Suspect Observation:

Potential Volcanic Activity in Northwestern Nevada
.

That whole region appears to be waking up. Please see:

dutchsinse.com...

Just because a volcano is very old and hasn't done much in a while doesn't mean that it won't suddenly wake up and spew. The seismic activity in volcanic areas is usually the give away.

Thanks for the head's up!

a reply to: FarleyWayne

Well...this should be interesting. S&F for the informative thread.

Des

Volcanoes or.. every time I hear of quake swarms nowadays, I get to thinking, For Fracks Sake…

Nevada rabbit hole

Yes, I see this swarm being reported on various sites. In 2008 Reno was hit day and daily for most of the year with hundreds of 'quakes the last one being a Mag 5, then it all just stopped. The G.S. bunch were adamant it was all tectonic although there is no known fault, and so not volcanic. I don't think they ever got the handle on it, and the area was small around Reno.

I lived in Reno for several years before the army. Back in late 2009 we had an earth quake swarm that shook the area for about 2 weeks. Nothing major. But it moved the dinky little house my wife and I were living in at the time.

I have already started a discussion on this swarm since it started back in July of 2014... please observe this thread Nevada earthquake swarm

originally posted by: intrptr
Volcanoes or.. every time I hear of quake swarms nowadays, I get to thinking, For Fracks Sake…

Nevada rabbit hole

I think you are not far away with that. Many think, or are certain that it is the wastewater from Fracking that is the cause, it is pumped back into a diversionary part of the wells under high pressure. The EPA has all the gen on the wells, but they are not talking to the likes of geologists investigating, and by default the G.S. who have all the gen on the local terrain.
This is a scary example from Oklahoma,

www.motherjones.com...

originally posted by: smurfy
Yes, I see this swarm being reported on various sites. In 2008 Reno was hit day and daily for most of the year with hundreds of 'quakes the last one being a Mag 5, then it all just stopped. The G.S. bunch were adamant it was all tectonic although there is no known fault, and so not volcanic. I don't think they ever got the handle on it, and the area was small around Reno.

On the contrary!
There is a Fault that runs right up Virginia street. From mount rose highway.... and further north towards Stead.
And it has had activity.

and for anyone who has lived there...
Knows that area is heavy in geothermal vents/hot springs ...
All lakes.. Tahoe, Pyramid... walker... all Volcanic and rich with geothermal vents..

originally posted by: Bigburgh

originally posted by: smurfy
Yes, I see this swarm being reported on various sites. In 2008 Reno was hit day and daily for most of the year with hundreds of 'quakes the last one being a Mag 5, then it all just stopped. The G.S. bunch were adamant it was all tectonic although there is no known fault, and so not volcanic. I don't think they ever got the handle on it, and the area was small around Reno.

On the contrary!
There is a Fault that runs right up Virginia street. From mount rose highway.... and further north towards Stead.
And it has had activity.

and for anyone who has lived there...
Knows that area is heavy in geothermal vents/hot springs ...
All lakes.. Tahoe, Pyramid... walker... all Volcanic and rich with geothermal vents..

That NatGeo documentary cuts short. But I'm sure they mention the fault that runs north and south on Virginia street. Plus more.
There is another snag too.
The area also has a lot of Red Clay just under the dirt. One neighborhood I remember over in Sparks( Goldust drive off vista Blvd) was built right on top of it. Homes started splitting and sinking..
This Red Clay has contributed to some of the lesser felt Seismic activity..

Just behind E.C. Reed high school in sparks is an almost perfect mound with with the top having collapsed. It's at Shadow mountain park in Sparks. It was created from being pushed upwards by thermal activity.
Look off Baring Blvd and Sparks Blvd on Google maps... be sure to go to street view to see what I mean.

Yay, we need some excitement. Oh, I'm sorry I should say I hope that no animals should be hurt in the production of this event. Is this a very populated area?

originally posted by: rickymouse
Yay, we need some excitement.

Oh, I'm sorry I should say I hope that no animals should be hurt in the production of this event. Is this a very populated area?

No it is not very populated..
Last time I checked...
Mostly agricultural and ..... nope.. not even really that.
But people are there...
Just high desert ...

originally posted by: Bigburgh

originally posted by: smurfy
Yes, I see this swarm being reported on various sites. In 2008 Reno was hit day and daily for most of the year with hundreds of 'quakes the last one being a Mag 5, then it all just stopped. The G.S. bunch were adamant it was all tectonic although there is no known fault, and so not volcanic. I don't think they ever got the handle on it, and the area was small around Reno.

On the contrary!
There is a Fault that runs right up Virginia street. From mount rose highway.... and further north towards Stead.
And it has had activity.

and for anyone who has lived there...
Knows that area is heavy in geothermal vents/hot springs ...
All lakes.. Tahoe, Pyramid... walker... all Volcanic and rich with geothermal vents..

I think you miss out in what I say, my bad. They don't know of a tectonic fault in that area, they are adamant that the 'quakes were not due to volcanic activity. All the 'quakes, as the local guy in the video says are shallow. So something of a puzzle at the time, as tectonics are rooted deeply underground. However Fracking, not even mentioned in the video could fit the bill and it doesn't need to be close to where a 'quake the Fracking caused. Also compare with what they did in Oklahoma to that part of Reno. In Oklahoma they put up a ring of seismometers around the area, in Reno the local guy put up one in his garden because he knew it was the epicentre of the 'quake events, but if it was caused by Fracking/secondary Fracking procedure, the epicentre of the 'quakes mean not too much really, since the cause can be separated from the event by distance. So the gist of that video then was it was all a puzzle at the time.
Below is what the USGS had said back then,

"In addition to these significant quakes, hundreds of smaller events have also occurred in the same area. This swarm is significant because no known dominant fault line has been responsible for the earthquake swarm occurring in the region. It is also highly unusual because the quakes have, for the most part, been limited to a three mile area. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) estimates that over 620 earthquakes have occurred in the general three mile vicinity since the swarm has been monitored. Seismologists with the USGS as well as the Nevada Seismological Laboratory expressed concern that the increasing magnitude of the felt quakes may indicate that a larger earthquake was imminent. As yet, they have not identified the particular tectonics involved with these earthquakes. However, they have stated categorically that volcanic activity is not involved."

The motherjones link brings more light to things, because there are two entities involved. Fracking itself, then the wastewater disposal, and perhaps the second being the bigger culprit. Water in itself is a powerful force, water under pressure is something else, it would be easier to predict for instance, when a balloon continuously filled with air would burst, than trying to guage when an unknown cavity underground becomes overpressurised, and the result. It seems to me, that particular item is on the no talk list.

originally posted by: smurfy

originally posted by: Bigburgh

originally posted by: smurfy
Yes, I see this swarm being reported on various sites. In 2008 Reno was hit day and daily for most of the year with hundreds of 'quakes the last one being a Mag 5, then it all just stopped. The G.S. bunch were adamant it was all tectonic although there is no known fault, and so not volcanic. I don't think they ever got the handle on it, and the area was small around Reno.
On the contrary!
There is a Fault that runs right up Virginia street. From mount rose highway.... and further north towards Stead.
And it has had activity.

and for anyone who has lived there...
Knows that area is heavy in geothermal vents/hot springs ...
All lakes.. Tahoe, Pyramid... walker... all Volcanic and rich with geothermal vents..

I think you miss out in what I say, my bad. They don't know of a tectonic fault in that area, they are adamant that the 'quakes were not due to volcanic activity. All the 'quakes, as the local guy in the video says are shallow. So something of a puzzle at the time, as tectonics are rooted deeply underground. However Fracking, not even mentioned in the video could fit the bill and it doesn't need to be close to where a 'quake the Fracking caused. Also compare with what they did in Oklahoma to that part of Reno. In Oklahoma they put up a ring of seismometers around the area, in Reno the local guy put up one in his garden because he knew it was the epicentre of the 'quake events, but if it was caused by Fracking/secondary Fracking procedure, the epicentre of the 'quakes mean not too much really, since the cause can be seperated from the event by distance. So the gist of that video then was it was all a puzzle at the time.
Below is what the USGS had said back then,

"In addition to these significant quakes, hundreds of smaller events have also occurred in the same area. This swarm is significant because no known dominant fault line has been responsible for the earthquake swarm occurring in the region. It is also highly unusual because the quakes have, for the most part, been limited to a three mile area. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) estimates that over 620 earthquakes have occurred in the general three mile vicinity since the swarm has been monitored. Seismologists with the USGS as well as the Nevada Seismological Laboratory expressed concern that the increasing magnitude of the felt quakes may indicate that a larger earthquake was imminent. As yet, they have not identified the particular tectonics involved with these earthquakes. However, they have stated categorically that volcanic activity is not involved."

The motherjones link brings more light to things, because there are two entities involved. Fracking itself, then the wastewater disposal, and perhaps the second being the bigger culprit. Water in itself is a powerful force, water under pressure is something else, it would be easier to predict for instance, when a balloon continuously filled with air would burst, than trying to guage when an unknown cavity underground becomes overpressurised, and the result. It seems to me, that particular item is on the no talk list.

Sorry..
I guess I did misunderstand you.

originally posted by: Bigburgh

originally posted by: smurfy

originally posted by: Bigburgh

originally posted by: smurfy
Yes, I see this swarm being reported on various sites. In 2008 Reno was hit day and daily for most of the year with hundreds of 'quakes the last one being a Mag 5, then it all just stopped. The G.S. bunch were adamant it was all tectonic although there is no known fault, and so not volcanic. I don't think they ever got the handle on it, and the area was small around Reno.
On the contrary!
There is a Fault that runs right up Virginia street. From mount rose highway.... and further north towards Stead.
And it has had activity.

and for anyone who has lived there...
Knows that area is heavy in geothermal vents/hot springs ...
All lakes.. Tahoe, Pyramid... walker... all Volcanic and rich with geothermal vents..

I think you miss out in what I say, my bad. They don't know of a tectonic fault in that area, they are adamant that the 'quakes were not due to volcanic activity. All the 'quakes, as the local guy in the video says are shallow. So something of a puzzle at the time, as tectonics are rooted deeply underground. However Fracking, not even mentioned in the video could fit the bill and it doesn't need to be close to where a 'quake the Fracking caused. Also compare with what they did in Oklahoma to that part of Reno. In Oklahoma they put up a ring of seismometers around the area, in Reno the local guy put up one in his garden because he knew it was the epicentre of the 'quake events, but if it was caused by Fracking/secondary Fracking procedure, the epicentre of the 'quakes mean not too much really, since the cause can be seperated from the event by distance. So the gist of that video then was it was all a puzzle at the time.
Below is what the USGS had said back then,

"In addition to these significant quakes, hundreds of smaller events have also occurred in the same area. This swarm is significant because no known dominant fault line has been responsible for the earthquake swarm occurring in the region. It is also highly unusual because the quakes have, for the most part, been limited to a three mile area. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) estimates that over 620 earthquakes have occurred in the general three mile vicinity since the swarm has been monitored. Seismologists with the USGS as well as the Nevada Seismological Laboratory expressed concern that the increasing magnitude of the felt quakes may indicate that a larger earthquake was imminent. As yet, they have not identified the particular tectonics involved with these earthquakes. However, they have stated categorically that volcanic activity is not involved."

The motherjones link brings more light to things, because there are two entities involved. Fracking itself, then the wastewater disposal, and perhaps the second being the bigger culprit. Water in itself is a powerful force, water under pressure is something else, it would be easier to predict for instance, when a balloon continuously filled with air would burst, than trying to guage when an unknown cavity underground becomes overpressurised, and the result. It seems to me, that particular item is on the no talk list.

Sorry..
I guess I did misunderstand you.

( weired ) yes smurfy I did misunderstand what you were trying to say..

Seems when I responded it didn't recognise the difference between our 2 quotes...