1954 Rainbow Mountain-Fairview Peak-Dixie Valley earthquakes facts for kids

In 1954, the state of Nevada experienced a series of powerful earthquakes. This started with three large quakes in July and August. These were followed by the main earthquake, which had a magnitude of 7.3, and a strong aftershock, both on December 16. These five earthquakes are still among the biggest ever recorded in Nevada. They were the largest since the Cedar Mountain earthquake in 1932 and the Pleasant Valley event in 1915. People felt the shaking across much of the western United States.

What is Nevada's Geology Like?

The state of Nevada is located in a special geological area called the Basin and Range Province. Imagine the Earth's crust slowly pulling apart in this region, moving northwest and southeast. This pulling motion causes the land to stretch and break.

• When the crust stretches, it creates many long, narrow mountain ranges and valleys.
• These mountains are usually no more than 16 kilometers (10 miles) wide and 130 kilometers (80 miles) long.
• The stretching also leads to many faults, which are cracks in the Earth's crust.
• When these faults move, they cause earthquakes. This makes Nevada the third most active state for earthquakes in the USA, after Alaska and California.

The 1954 Earthquake Series

The 1954 Nevada earthquake sequence involved several major quakes. Here's a look at the main events.

Rainbow Mountain Earthquakes

The first big earthquake in this series happened on July 6.

• It had a magnitude of 6.8.
• This quake happened along the Rainbow Mountain Fault.
• About eleven hours later, a strong aftershock with a magnitude of 6.2 hit near Salt Wells Marsh.
• The shaking from this quake was very strong, reaching levels of IX to X on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.

Stillwater Earthquake

On August 24, another strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.6 struck north of the Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge.

• This quake caused the ground to break open for about 33.1 kilometers (20.6 miles).
• The shaking was very intense, reaching level IX (Violent).
• It damaged dams and irrigation systems around the town of Lovelock.

Fairview Earthquake

A fault scarp at Fairview Peak after the Mw 7.3 shock on December 16.

On December 16, the largest earthquake in the whole series occurred.

• This massive quake had a magnitude of 7.3.
• It caused the ground to break along the Fairview Peak, West Gate, and Gold King Faults.
• The total length of the ground breakage was 64.4 kilometers (40 miles).
• In some places, the ground moved up or down by as much as 7 meters (23 feet).
• The shaking from this earthquake was extremely strong, reaching level X (Extreme) on the Modified Mercalli intensity scale.
• This earthquake was felt across a huge area, covering about 518,000 square kilometers (200,000 square miles).

Dixie Valley Earthquake

Just four minutes and 20 seconds after the Fairview earthquake, another powerful quake struck.

• This earthquake had a magnitude between 6.9 and 7.0.
• It happened west of Humboldt Salt Marsh along the Dixie Valley Fault Zone.
• This event caused a separate fault to break for 46.7 kilometers (29 miles).

Aftershocks

Many aftershocks followed these major earthquakes. One notable aftershock had a magnitude of 6.0 and occurred on March 23, 1959.

What Happened After the Earthquakes?

The earthquakes caused a lot of damage and changed the landscape.

• Many new fault scarps (steps in the ground) appeared.
• Stream channels were also shifted due to the ground breaking.

Impact on Fallon and Nearby Areas

The July 6 earthquake caused damage in the town of Fallon.

• Older brick buildings that were not reinforced were badly damaged.
• Many chimneys fell down.
• At the Naval Auxiliary Air Station, twelve sailors were injured. Heavy steel lockers fell, and glass shattered. One sailor broke a leg.
• Canals and drainage systems near Fallon were heavily damaged. This was due to liquefaction, where the ground becomes like liquid.
• Highways in the Fallon-Stillwater areas cracked and buckled. One road dropped almost a meter (3 feet) for over 300 meters (980 feet).
• President Eisenhower declared the region a disaster area. He provided $200,000 to help with relief efforts.

The August earthquake caused even more damage in Fallon.

• Seven more buildings had to be torn down because they were too damaged.
• More windows, water pipes, and chimneys broke.
• The earthquake also ruined the repair work that had been done after the July quake.

Impact of the December Earthquakes

The main earthquakes on December 16 scared the people of Fallon. Many chose to stay out of their homes during the cold winter night.

• In Reno, many people felt the earthquake very strongly.
• Plaster fell from the Nevada State Capitol Building in Carson City.
• Cracks up to 30 inches (76 cm) wide opened up in highways and the land.
• The quakes also caused rockfalls, sending large boulders onto highways.
• US-50 experienced buckling and cracks. Some roads dropped more than 1.5 meters (5 feet) due to the ground breaking.

Even far away in Sacramento, about 322 kilometers (200 miles) away, the earthquake caused some damage.

• A water tank at the city's water filtration plant suffered about $20,000 in damages.

Today, you can still visit the areas where the ground broke and see the fault scarps left behind by these powerful earthquakes.