There is currently an earthquake swarm hitting Mammoth Lakes in California.
The series, which included a M3.9 quake on Sunday, may be tied to the movement of magma in the nearby Long Valley caldera.
The historically restless Mammoth Lakes area has experienced more than 150 tiny and small earthquakes over the past week, including a magnitude 3.0 temblor that hit at 7:13 p.m. on Monday, says the USGS.
The series — which included a 3. 9 quake on Sunday — may be tied to the movement of magma in the nearby Long Valley caldera, said Susan Hough, a USGS seismologist.
“Adjustments to the the crust occur all of the time in that area,” said Hough, who is familiar with the many faults that intersect the caldera in California’s Eastern Sierra.
A larger swarm occurred in 2014, and didn’t result in a major quake. But the region has experienced large temblors, notably in 1980, when two 6.0s and one 6.1 quake occurred within a three day period.
According to All News Pipelines and USGS, in 1915, Lassen Peak erupted and wrecked a huge portion of the state. Over the last 100 days, the much larger Long Valley Caldera has begun acting-up. And what it’s doing has Geologists at the US Geological Survey “concerned.” The Caldera – the mouth of the Volcano – is . . . . moving.
According to scientific instruments monitored by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) the area in vicinity of the Long Valley caldera is deforming and moving rapidly compared to previous records.
The seismic data is showing on a recent timespan that the amount of movement is causing STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT STRAIN in the rock in the area. This is not conspiracy-theorist conjecture or amateur geology antics, this is from the USGS itself.
[…] There is currently an earthquake swarm hitting Mammoth Lakes in California. The series, which included a Magnitude 3.9 quake on Sunday, may be tied to the movement of magma in the nearby Long Valley caldera. The historically restless Mammoth Lakes area has experienced more than 150 tiny and small earthquakes over the past week, including a magnitude 3.0 temblor that hit at 7:13 p.m. on Monday, says the USGS. The series — which included a 3. 9 quake on Sunday — may be tied to the movement of magma in the nearby Long Valley caldera, said Susan Hough, a USGS seismologist. FULL STORY […]