The quake is the largest of several small earthquakes in the region over the past three weeks

Residents in Caliente, Mesquite and northern Las Vegas may have felt an earthquake just after midnight on Friday morning.

The Nevada Seismological Laboratory (NSL) identified and located a 4.01 magnitude earthquake that occurred at 12:16 a.m. on June 6. The epicenter was about 25.1 miles south-southwest of Caliente. The earthquake was originally posted as a magnitude 4.8, but the magnitude was recalculated and assigned a 4.0 this morning. There have been six smaller earthquakes, ranging in magnitude from 1.2 to 1.9, in the last three weeks within 30 miles of this event. 

Earthquakes in this area are usually along extensional faults that form as the earth’s crust stretches, creating the alternating mountain and basin topography of central Nevada, known as the Basin and Range province. Each earthquake widens the Basin and Range a small amount, moving Reno farther away from Salt Lake City. This event occurred on a strike slip fault, which are often found between extensional faults in the Basin and Range.

“Always remember, if you feel an earthquake happening, the best way to stay safe is to ‘Drop, Cover and Hold On’,” Kyren Bogolub, network seismologist at the NSL, said.

The NSL will continue to monitor earthquakes in the region.