1932 Cedar Mountain earthquake facts for kids
| UTC time | 1932-12-21 06:10:10 |
|---|---|
| ISC event | 906508 |
| USGS-ANSS | ComCat |
| Local date | December 20, 1932 |
| Magnitude | 7.3 Ms |
| Depth | 10.0 km |
| Epicenter | 38°37′52″N 117°54′36″W / 38.631°N 117.910°W |
| Fault | Central Nevada Seismic Belt, Walker Lane Seismic Zone |
| Type | Strike-slip (dextral) |
| Areas affected | Nevada, United States |
| Total damage | Limited |
| Max. intensity | X (Extreme) |
| Casualties | Some injured |
The Cedar Mountain earthquake of 1932 was one of the biggest earthquakes to ever hit the state of Nevada in the United States. This powerful earthquake, measuring 7.2 on the magnitude scale, happened near Cedar Mountain in western Nevada. People felt the ground shake very far away, all the way in Oregon, Southern California, and even in the Rocky Mountains.
Nevada is a very active earthquake zone. It's the third most earthquake-prone state in the U.S. This is because the North American Plate (the huge piece of Earth's crust we live on) is slowly pulling apart there. This pulling apart, called rifting, causes the Earth's crust to stretch and thin. When the crust stretches, it creates many cracks, called faults. These faults move and slip, which causes earthquakes. Since the 1932 earthquake happened in a quiet, remote area, there was not much damage and no one died.
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What Happened During the Earthquake?
The Cedar Mountain earthquake happened along a group of strike-slip faults. These are faults where the ground moves mostly sideways. The earthquake caused cracks in the ground that were about 60 kilometers (37 miles) long and six to 14 kilometers (4 to 9 miles) wide. These cracks stretched southeast from where the earthquake started.
The ground broke open across three valleys and several mountain fronts. This included the Stewart-Monte Cristo Valley Fault Zone and other smaller faults. In some places, the ground moved sideways by as much as 2.7 meters (nearly 9 feet). In other spots, the ground also moved up or down by about 0.5 meters (about 1.6 feet).
Mysterious Lights in the Sky
During the earthquake, many people saw strange things. Eyewitnesses reported seeing "lightning bolts" and "mysterious lights" in Carson Valley. These are sometimes called earthquake lights.
The shaking was incredibly strong in Nevada, reaching the highest level (XII, or Extreme) on the Mercalli intensity scale. This scale describes how much people feel an earthquake and how much damage it causes. Overall, people felt the earthquake across a huge area, about 850,000 square kilometers (328,000 square miles). This complex earthquake, which involved faults between two mountain ranges, was similar to the big Owens Valley earthquake that happened in 1872.
How Did the Earthquake Affect People?
At the time of the earthquake, the area where it hit hardest was mostly empty. However, one old adobe and stone cabin was completely destroyed. Luckily, no one was hurt there. Some damage was also seen at nearby mines and other cabins.
In towns like Mina, Hawthorne, and Luning, the earthquake caused chimneys to fall down and windows to shatter. Chimneys were also damaged in Fallon and the Reese River Valley.
Injuries and Panic
In a place called Rhodes, one man was injured. The earthquake threw him against a train engine, and he suffered a fractured skull. The strong shaking also caused panic in bigger cities like Carson City, Virginia City, and Reno in Nevada. Even in Sacramento, California, people felt the shaking and were scared.
