SACRAMENTO — A magnitude 5.5 earthquake that struck in a remote area of Nevada on Monday afternoon sent shaking throughout Central California, including the Sacramento area.
In Sacramento, one person saw ornaments on a Christmas tree sway, as did some blinds for less than a minute. Water sloshed in a swimming pool, another person said. In Davis, a computer swayed for just a few seconds and a desk chair was jolted, while a teenager reported feeling his bed sway and an unnerved poodle sought comfort.
In Reno, about 50 miles northwest of the quake’s epicenter, someone at KTVN-TV captured a video of the star on the newsroom’s Christmas tree still quivering — barely — as staffers scrambled to cover the earthquake. One person could be heard saying they hadn’t felt anything.
“Very strong” shaking, as defined by the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale, was felt in the desert where the epicenter was located, but the shaking was “light” in Carson City, about 40 miles away. Shaking was “weak” in Sacramento, which is some 140 miles to the 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 at risk of earthquakes. Seismologists have noted that there are at least 30 faults that could cause damage in the Reno-Carson City corridor, according to the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology.
Should a magnitude 7.1 earthquake happen on the Genoa fault around that region, the number of fatalities could range from 30 to 120. A magnitude 6.9 earthquake on the Mt. Rose fault in that area could cause from 120 to 500 deaths.
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake on the Frenchman Mountain fault could result in 80 to 300 deaths in Clark County, home to Las Vegas, according to state estimates.
Times state editor Deb Anderluh contributed to this report.
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