SACRAMENTO – A 5.5 magnitude earthquake in remote Nevada on Monday afternoon sent tremors across Central California, including the Sacramento area.
In Sacramento, one person saw the ornaments on a Christmas tree move, as did other blind people for less than a minute. The water has gone down in the swimming pool, another person said. At Davis, the computer wobbled for a few seconds and the desk chair moved, while the young man reported hearing his bed move and the empty poodle seeking comfort.
In Reno, about 50 miles northwest of the epicenter, someone at KTVN-TV captured video of the star on the newsroom’s Christmas tree still shaking — a little — as crews tried to contain the quake. One person could be heard saying that he had not heard anything.
A “very strong” quake, as defined by the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale, was felt in the desert where the epicenter was, but the quake was “slight” in Carson City, 40 miles away. The tremor was “weak” in Sacramento, about 140 miles southwest of the epicenter.
People reported feeling the quake as far away as the San Francisco Bay Area and Fresno, about 200 and 170 miles away, respectively.
Nevada is prone to earthquakes. Seismologists have noted that there are at least 30 faults that could cause damage to the Reno-Carson City tunnel, according to the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology.
If an earthquake measuring 7.1 occurs due to the Genoa fault in that area, the death toll could range from 30 to 120. A 6.9 earthquake on the fault zone of Mt. Rose can cause the death of 120 to 500 people.
A 5.9-magnitude earthquake along the Frenchman Mountain Fault could kill 80 to 300 people in Clark County, home to Las Vegas, according to state estimates.
Times state editor Deb Anderluh contributed to this report.
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