Magnitude 5.4 quake hits Nevada, close to Las Vegas -USGS

LAS VEGAS  - A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck Nevada on Friday close to the small town of Caliente, northeast of the tourist hub of Las Vegas, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

 

It said the epicenter of the quake, which was quite shallow at a depth of only 12 miles (19.4 km), was 24 miles from Caliente, a town of just over 1,000 people, close to the border with Utah.

 

A dispatcher with the Lincoln County Sheriff's Department, near the quake's epicenter, said it had been felt widely across the county, but that there were no immediate reports of damage.

 

The quake, which the USGS said was followed less than 20 minutes later by a smaller 3.8 magnitude temblor, could be felt as far away as Las Vegas, about 100 miles to the southwest.  — Reuters