6.4-magnitude earthquake strikes east of Nevada, four aftershocks reported

A 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck Nevada on the morning of May 15 about 225 miles northwest of Las Vegas near the California border, US  Geological Survey reportedly said. The USGS said that the quake occurred at 4:03 a.m. local time, and was 4.7 miles deep. According to the international media reports, at least four aftershocks were reported. The epicenter was reportedly about 35 miles west of the town of Tonopah, situated east of the Sierra Nevada range. 

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Earthquake within the Walker Lane

The USGS website read, "The May 15, 2020 M 6.5 earthquake 56 km west f Tonopah, Nevada, occurred as the result of strike slip faulting in the shallow crust of the North America plate. Preliminary focal mechanism solutions for the event, which describe the style of faulting in an earthquake, indicate slip likely occurred on a steeply dipping fault striking either east-west (left-lateral) or north-south (right-lateral). This earthquake occurred within the Walker Lane, an active zone of seismicity roughly aligned with the California-Nevada border. Tectonically, the Walker Lane accommodates up to 25% of the North America: Pacific Plate motion, with the remainder mostly accommodated on the San Andreas fault system."

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IMAGE CREDIT: AP (Representative)