Moderate quake shakes northwest Nevada

RENO — A moderate earthquake and a string of aftershocks have hit a sparsely populated area of northwest Nevada near its borders with Oregon and California, but there were no reports of damage.

A magnitude-4.6 temblor at 11:23 p.m. Tuesday was centered about 40 miles southeast of Lakeview, Ore., and 160 miles north of Reno, according to the University of Nevada, Reno Seismological Laboratory.

The temblor was followed by a couple of dozen aftershocks in the region, including one of magnitude 3.9 at 7:18 a.m. Wednesday, UNR seismologist Diane dePolo said. It was preceded by a magnitude-4.1 quake on Oct. 30.

They’re the latest in a swarm of hundreds of quakes that have occurred around the Sheldon National Wildlife Refuge in northwest Nevada over the past several months, dePolo said.

“It’s very remote up there. I don’t know if anybody is around to feel them,” she said.

The Modoc County, Calif., Sheriff’s Office, which covers the northeast corner of the state, received no reports of damage, a spokeswoman said.

Nevada, which is covered by many faults, is the third most seismically active state in the nation behind California and Alaska.

“The activity is continuing up there, and it’s a reminder that we live in a seismically active area and need to be prepared for it,” dePolo said.