A swarm of small earthquakes, including a 3.0 temblor and a 2.8 tremor, is currently shaking the area around Mammoth Lakes in California. More than 185 earthquakes have hit the region in the last 6 days. The strongest quake occurred Thursday, Oct. 19th at about 4:50 a.m. UTC and registered at M3.1 on the Richter scale. It was followed by a Magnitude 2.8 earthquake a few hours later. This swarm of approximately 185 earthquakes and still growing are located in the Long Valley area and centered near Mammoth Lakes.

They are measured at different depths between 1.3 km (M3.1) and 8.5km (M2.8). The quakes may be from the release of some carbon dioxide gas and water deep in the earth into existing cracks or faults in the ground driven by existing tectonics. Mammoth Mountain is a lava-dome complex lying on the southwest topographic rim of Long Valley Caldera. The volcano is considered to represent a magmatic system distinct from Long Valley Caldera and the Mono-Inyo Craters. Eruptions at Mammoth Mountain occurred from 100,000 to 50,000 years ago. READ MORE