Nevada was rocked by a 4.0 magnitude earthquake on Wednesday in a region where the Earth's crust is slowly tearing apart.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) detected the tremor at 5:35 am local (8:35am ET) near Valmy that sits on top of the Basin and Range Province, which stretches across much of the western US.
In this area, the Earth's crust is gradually being pulled apart, causing faulting and frequent earthquakes.
The USGS's aftershock forecast shows a 31 percent chance of a 3.0 magnitude or higher tremor hitting in the next week and a small six percent chance of another 4.0 magnitude or more.
Nevada is the nation's third-most seismically active state, ranking after Californiaand Alaska.
Valmy sits within a region of active fault lines, including the Fairview Peak-Dixie Valley Fault Scarps and the Central Nevada Seismic Belt.
The small town is also along the Pleasant Valley fault that is capable of producing a quake up to a 7.7 magnitude.
While Wednesday's earthquake was strong enough to shake buildings, Valmy is sparsely populated. The USGS received only two reports of shaking.
The USGS also noted that the 4.0 magnitude was likely the largest event in a sequence of related quakes.
A 5.7 magnitude earthquake shook northern Nevada on December 9, 2024.
It was the largest quake since May 15, 2020, when a 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck the Monte Cristo Range.
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