4.7 quake rocks Reno as area's seismic activity continues

[April 26, 2008]  RENO, Nev. (AP) -- Another earthquake struck the Reno area, dumping cans off shelves, knocking pictures off walls and sending rocks off hillsides.

There were no immediate reports early Saturday of injuries or major property damage from the quake late Friday.

The U.S. Geological Survey reported the 4.7 magnitude temblor hit at 11:40 p.m. and was centered six miles west of Reno near Mogul, where a swarm of more than 100 quakes rattled the area on Thursday. The biggest of those was a 4.2 event.

A 3.5 aftershock followed at 12:29 a.m. Saturday, followed by at least 30 smaller ones, the USGS said.

The initial quake was felt 30 miles north in Portola, Calif., and at least 45 miles south near Stateline, Nev., on Lake Tahoe's south shore.

Local television stations reported the temblor cracked walls and broke lawn watering lines in the northwest Reno.

It was the strongest quake to shake the city since hundreds of much smaller events have been recorded in the area since the end of February.

Jars of mayonnaise, bottles of ketchup and shampoo fell from shelves at a Wal-Mart store in northwest Reno. It caused the overhead televisions to sway at a sports bar in neighboring Sparks, 11 miles east, where bartender Shawn Jones said the rumble was significantly stronger than Thursday's event.

"The bottles were shaking so I sent everybody outside," he said.

Scientists said earlier Friday that Reno faces a "small increase" in the chance of a major earthquake in the aftermath of the seismic activity.

"The persistence of this particular earthquake sequence slightly increases the probability for a significant earthquake in west Reno," said a statement from the Nevada Seismological Laboratory at the University of Nevada, Reno.

"However, the occurrence of additional earthquake activity in the Mogul area cannot be predicted or forecast," it added.

[Associated Press]

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