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Evidence for Deep Magma Injection Beneath Lake Tahoe
Scientists at the Nevada Seismological Laboratory and Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology at the University of Nevada, Reno, the California Institute of Technology, and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics published an article in Science Magazine analyzing a recent earthquake sequence near Lake Tahoe. According to their study, the sequence illuminates a 7x5-kilometer planar feature in the lower-crust (depths of 27-31 km), which is unusually deep for earthquakes in the Sierra Nevada. The swarm in late 2003 coincided with an uplift of approximately 10 mm observed at the Slide Mountain GPS site. The researchers interpret the earthquake sequence and uplift as a possible indication of magma injection at great depth.
The largest recent earthquake in this area was the M6.0 September 12, 1966 Truckee earthquake.
The article is available in the August 5th edition.
Related resources:
- While magma may have caused earthquake swarm, no need for concern, California Geological Survey says
- Current Earthquakes in the Lake Tahoe area
- Probablistic Seismic Hazard Map of eastern California
- Living with earthquakes in Nevada (pdf)
- Earthquakes in Nevada and How to Survive Them (pdf)
- Earthquakes in Nevada, 1852-1998 (pdf)
California Integrated Seismic Network
www@cisn.org
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Part of the Advanced National Seismic System |
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Last modified: Sat Feb 4 12:51:32 PST 2006