Nevada Seismological Laboratory

Press Release

http://www.seismo.unr.edu

March 8, 2008

M 3.0 Earthquake near Mogul in the West Reno Area

A Magnitude 3.0 earthquake occurred near Mogul, Nevada, in the west Reno urban area, on Saturday March 8, 2008, at 2:07 AM PST. The earthquake was felt in west Reno. The preliminary event location determined by the Nevada Seismological Laboratory is - Latitude: 39.5236N; Longitude: 119.9294 W; Depth 6.6 km (4.1 miles). Last night’s Magnitude 3.0 earthquake has been followed by number of small aftershocks, some of which may have been felt by local residents. The March 8, Magnitude 3.0 event is the largest in a continuing series of earthquakes, at approximately the same location near Mogul, that began on Thursday February 28, 2008. Small magnitude events have been occurring in this area since this series of earthquakes began.

Following any sequence of earthquakes similar to what has been observed in the west Reno area over the past 9 days, there is a slight increase in the probability of larger magnitude events; however, the occurrence of additional earthquake activity in the Mogul area cannot be predicted or forecast. Nevada citizens are urged to always be prepared for strong ground shaking from earthquakes at anytime; Nevada is the third most active state for earthquake activity in the United States and large earthquakes may occur anywhere in the State.

The data reported here has been reviewed. For more information, contact the Nevada Seismological Laboratory, (775) 784-4975. For more information on earthquake preparedness visit the Nevada Seismological web site at http://www.seismo.unr.edu