String Of Earthquakes Shakes Ground Near Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe, and their rumblings were felt across areas of two states. There were no immediate reports of problems.

The U.S. Geological Survey says two magnitude 5.7 temblors were centered in a remote area of Nevada near the California line, about 70 miles southeast of Lake Tahoe.

The moderate quakes, which struck at 12:18 a.m. PST and then four minutes later, were followed by a series of smaller aftershocks.

At least 20 shakers hit in fairly rapid succession, at least 17 of them centered around Hawthorne, Nevada, near the epicenter.

The Mineral County Sheriff’s Department in Hawthorne says staffers felt both quakes, but they have not had any reports of injury or damage. The office says the quakes apparently did trigger burglar alarms at two businesses, and caused a rock slide that did not block a nearby highway.

CBS Reno, Nevada affiliate KTVN-TV reports a boulder rolled onto a roadway in Hawthorne.

In addition to Lake Tahoe, the USGS says the quakes were felt in such areas as Carson City, Nevada, and Yosemite National Park and Mammoth Lakes in California, all roughly 60 miles from the epicenter.

A string of minor quakes hit around Hawthorne in July, local media reported.

And NASA’s Earth Observatory says in a swarm of quakes shook ground near Hawthorne for several weeks in March and April 2011. The observatory says the “small- and medium-sized earthquakes have been concentrated near Buller Mountain, in an area of about 10 square kilometers (4 square miles). Over 400 earthquakes above magnitude 1.0 have occurred since April 10, up to a magnitude of 4.6.”

The U.S. Army has a depot in Hawthorne.

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