Seismicity and Seismic Hazard of Northeastern Nevada

The February 21, 2008, Wells earthquake (MW=6.0) occurred in a region of northeastern Nevada where the seismicity has historically been low relative to western Nevada. In a region of area of approximately10 5 km 2 of northeastern Nevada, based rates of smaller earthquakes in the region prior to 2008, earthquakes of MW=6.0 or larger are expected with a rate of about 0.01 per year. The probability of the once-a-century earthquake in northeastern Nevada occurring close to a city also seems small given our current state of knowledge, but the occurrence of this event is reasonably consistent with the U.S. Geological Survey National Hazard Map hazard curve for Wells. The seismic hazard in Wells is comparable to the hazard in Las Vegas. Thus the Wells earthquake is a reminder that the potential for significant earthquakes is present every place in Nevada, and not just in the parts of the state with relatively high rates of seismicity.