The first, with a magnitude perhaps as large as 6.7, occurred either in the Olinghouse area or the Virginia Range. The second, with a magnitude of around 6.1 apparently occurred closer to Carson City. These brought down chimneys in a localized part of Reno. Smaller earthquakes are felt in the corridor on the average of a several times per year. Dates are based on Pacific Standard Time.
Intensity is a measure of the damage and effects of an earthquake.
MM V is a strongly felt earthquake, MM VI is an earthquake that cracks walls, MM VII is an earthquake that topples chimneys, and MM VIII is an earthquake that causes significant damage to weak structures. Active faults capable of generating strong earthquakes are located throughout the Reno-Carson City urban corridor. Some of the larger active fault zones are shown on the map on the next page. These faults are normal, lateral, and oblique slip in nature, and are responsible for much of the present topography. Range-bounding normal faults are present throughout the region, and generally have northerly trends.