Earthquakes are felt in Death Valley in Las Vegas

Earthquake experts said three moderate earthquakes were recorded in Death Valley National Park overnight, and some social media users reported feeling the tremors in Las Vegas.

The first was a magnitude 4.2 quake just before midnight, followed by a magnitude 4.7 quake around 1 a.m. and a magnitude 4.3 quake around 8 a.m. Friday, according to the United States Geological Survey and Nevada University of Nevada, Reno Seismological Laboratory.

Comments in the Las Vegas Breaking News & Traffic Incidents group on Facebook and posts on X suggested that some Las Vegas Valley residents felt the earth shake.

“Yes, Summerlin south of Mesa Park. I thought I was dreaming or the dog was shaking the bed, but checked my app and confirmed it was a quake,” Amy Mirochnik posted in the Facebook group.

The earthquakes followed increased microearthquake activity near Stovepipe Wells over the past two weeks, the university said in a news release. Stovepipe Wells is located approximately 150 miles northwest of Las Vegas.

More than 55 earthquakes have been recorded near Stovepipe Wells, starting with a magnitude 2.9 earthquake on October 9th.

The earthquakes are detected and reported in real time by the statewide seismograph network at the Nevada Seismological Laboratory at the University of Nevada, Reno and the Southern California Earthquake Network at the California Institute of Technology. No damage is expected.

“Death Valley is a fascinating region where different types of fault zones are connected,” Christie Rowe, director of the lab, said in a statement. “Earthquakes here are caused by the expansion of the earth’s crust, which will continue in the future. There will be aftershocks that will be felt around Stovepipe Wells for days to weeks.”

Contact Marvin Clemons at [email protected].