A strong earthquake hit northeastern Nevada early in the morning on Thursday. The magnitude 6.0 earthquake, which hit close to the town of Wells, caused some damage, but there were no immediate reports of fatalities or injuries, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and local residents. The quake, which was initially assessed by the USGS as a magnitude 6.3, was centered 11 miles southeast of Wells and struck at 6:16 a.m., with a shallow epicenter of 6.2 miles deep. A 6.0 earthquake is capable of causing severe damage, particularly when so shallow. On the Richter magnitude scale of measuring earthquakes, a 6 is considered strong, while an earthquake stronger than a 10.0 has never been recorded. Though the earthquake did not leave massive devastation, residents that live further away from Wells also said they felt major shaking. The shaking “lasted about 10-15 seconds. I live about 20 miles from Wells and it shook the whole house. It was scary but there was no major damage,” said area resident Susan Shaw.
