BREAKING NEWS Violent earthquake hits US city where the ground is at risk of SPLITTING apart
Nevada was rocked by a 4.0 magnitude earthquake on Wednesday in a region where the Earth's crust is slowly tearing apart.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) detected the tremor at 5:35 am local (8:35am ET) near Valmy that sits on top of the Basin and Range Province, which stretches across much of the western US.
In this area, the Earth's crust is gradually being pulled apart, causing faulting and frequent earthquakes.
The USGS's aftershock forecast shows a 31 percent chance of a 3.0 magnitude or higher tremor hitting in the next week and a small six percent chance of another 4.0 magnitude or more.
Nevada is the nation's third-most seismically active state, ranking after California and Alaska.
Valmy sits within a region of active fault lines, including the Fairview Peak-Dixie Valley Fault Scarps and the Central Nevada Seismic Belt.
The small town is also along the Pleasant Valley fault that is capable of producing a quake up to a 7.7 magnitude.
This is a developing story... More updates to come
Since this area is part of the Basin, it experiences active crustal stretching, fault movements and occasional deep fluid activity.
There is also mining in the region that can trigger quakes.
Valmy is home to the Twin Creeks Mine and Turquoise Ridge Mine, both of which are substantial gold-producing sites operated by major mining companies.
These operations involve extensive excavation, blasting, and material processing, which
can alter the stress distribution in the Earth's crust, potentially inducing seismic events or earthquake swarms in the surrounding area.
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