Hundreds of small earthquakes occurred in the Mammoth Lakes area in California over the past week.
Hundreds of small earthquakes have been happening in the Mammoth Lakes area in California over the past week.
Of the nearly 700 instances of seismic activity that occurred in the area, none caused damage, and experts say the frequency and intensity of the tremors has slowed down.
Although small, mostly imperceptible earthquakes are common in the Mammoth Lakes area, the last bout of miniquakes was reportedly larger and than what has been happening in recent years.
David Shelly, a United States Geological Survey research seismologist who has been studying the volcanic system near Mammoth Lakes is quoted as saying: “This is one of the largest earthquake swarms we’ve seen in the past decade or so. We’ll be tracking it closely.”
This area is so seismically active because Mammoth Mountain, along with the ski resort and the town are all located on the western edge of one of the world’s largest calderas.
A swarm of earthquakes that lasted eleven months between 1989 and 1990 released carbon dioxide gas that killed off trees and created a health risk for people in that area.