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Nevada Seismological Laboratory Frequently Asked Questions


Questions about Nevada

Q: Why does Nevada have earthquakes?
Q: Could a big earthquake like they have in California happen in Reno?
Q: How many earthquakes are there in Nevada?
Q: Where are the faults in Nevada?
Q: Are there faults near Reno?
Q: Are there active faults near Las Vegas?
Q: Are there faults near Las Vegas that could produce a magnitude 7 earthquake? Are there more earthquakes in Nevada than in Arizona or New Mexico?
Q: Do all earthquakes occur on faults?
Q: What should a small earthquake mean to us?
Q: Does a local earthquake make another or a larger earthquake more likely?
Q: What does an earthquake somewhere else in the world mean for northern and western Nevada?
Q: Could a big earthquake in California cause earthquakes in Nevada?
Q: Do we have as much earthquake risk here in Nevada as they do in California?
Q: How many and what size of earthquakes do we have near Reno?
Q: What would happen during an earthquake in Reno/Carson?

Questions about California

Q: Will California fall into the Ocean?
Info: California Seismic Safety Commission
Questions about Earthquake Insurance

Q: Should I buy earthquake insurance for my house?
Info: An essay on earthquake insurance
General Questions about Earthquakes

Q: What is the biggest earthquake that has ever happened?
Q: What is a foreshock? What is an aftershock?
Q: What is the Richter scale?
Q: What's the difference between an M 4 and an M 5, or an M 4 and an M 6 earthquake?
Q: Is any place safe from earthquakes?
Q: Could bridges collapse in an earthquake?
Questions by School Kids & the Public

Q: What was the earliest earthquake?
Q: What kind of destruction occurs during earthquakes that take place along the ocean floor? Also, is it true that animals can detect earthquakes before they occur?
Q: What do seismologists do, because I am thinking of majoring in it?
Q: Where are the places that earthquakes mostly happen?
Q: What has been the largest earthquake ever recorded in the United States?
Q: I was just wondering what a foreshock does and what it can do to you if it can do anything to you? I was also wondering what an aftershock does and what it can do to you if it can do anything?
Q: I would like to know as much information as possible about earthquakes. Can you help me?
Q: How do earthquakes happen? How often do they happen? What is the lab's biggest earthquake ever reported?
Q: I was wondering how how big earthquakes can get? I was also wondering how big of a chance that an earthquake (can) form a volcano?
Q: I was wondering when and where the biggest earthquake ever recorded was and when it happened. I was also wondering if there was an earthquake in Kansas, because I know I've never felt one here.
Q: What was the longest Earthquake ever to ocur and where? And what did the people in that area if any, have to do for that period of time? How long does it take to rebuild everything that had been destroyed?
Q: How many more years will it take for California to break away from the rest of the United States?
Q: Are there any earthquakes in Australia?
Q: How long does an earthquake last?
Can't find an answer? Click here to ask a USGS specialist
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Last modified: 06/20/2006
© 2006 Nevada Seismological Laboratory