Nevada Earthquake

February 22, 2008

A 6.2 earthquake hit the northern Nevada town of Wells yesterday, rattling nerves and causing extensive property damage. There were reports that three people were injured and taken to the hospital but none of the injuries were life threatening. The intense quake hit around six in the morning and was felt throughout many nearby western states. A number of buildings in the downtown area of Wells were completely destroyed by the quake. In all, nearly 700 buildings were reported to have some sort of damage.

The earthquake was felt as far away as Southern California and Utah and nearly 30 aftershocks rocked the region throughout the day. Nearby gold mines were closed temporarily, but resumed operations a few hours later. Government officials plan an inspection of the roads, power lines and bridges to look for further damage around the town.

Nevada is not known for having much geological activity. The size and intensity of the quake was surprising to many geologists, who said that such an earthquake in the region was rare and only happened every 150 years or so.