sacramento — A 5.5-magnitude earthquake struck a remote area of Nevada on Monday afternoon and was felt throughout central California, including the Sacramento area.
In Sacramento, Christmas tree decorations and some blinds were seen shaking for less than a minute. Another person familiar with the matter said the water in the pool was sloshing. In Davis, a computer shook for a few seconds, a desk chair swayed, a teen reported feeling like his bed was shaking, and a nervous poodle sought comfort.
In Reno, about 50 miles northwest of the quake’s epicenter, KTVN-TV crews captured video of the stars on the newsroom Christmas tree still shaking, barely trembling, while crews were busy covering the quake. One person can be heard saying they feel nothing.
According to the modified McCully intensity scale definition, “very strong” shaking was felt in the desert where the epicenter was located, but “mild” was felt in Carson City, about 40 miles away. The shaking was “weak” in Sacramento, about 140 miles southwest of the epicenter.
The earthquake was reportedly felt by people as far away as the San Francisco Bay Area and Fresno, about 200 and 170 miles away respectively.
Nevada is at risk for earthquakes. Seismologists have pointed to at least 30 faults in the Reno-Carson City corridor that could cause damage, according to the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology.
If a magnitude 7.1 earthquake were to occur on the Genoa Fault surrounding the area, the death toll could range from 30 to 120 people.
A 5.9-magnitude earthquake on the Frenchman Mountain Fault in Clark County, home to Las Vegas, could kill 80 to 300 people, according to state estimates.
Times national editor Deb Anderluh contributed to this report.
