100 aftershocks since Friday earthquake in Carson City

More than 100 small earthquakes have been recorded since a 4.5 magnitude jolt hit on Friday evening near the south end of Prison Hill.

The largest of the aftershocks was a magnitude 3.2 temblor around 7:50 p.m. Saturday that could be felt across western Nevada.

An estimated 6,000 people reported feeling Friday’s earthquake, initially reported as 5.0 magnitude, that struck in southern Carson City at around 6:33 p.m. near the bottom of Prison Hill.

“The earthquake is in an area that has experienced earthquake swarm behavior, on-and-off, for several years,” said Ken Smith, seismic network manager at the Nevada Seismological Laboratory at the University of Nevada, Reno. “There have been about two dozen ongoing small aftershocks which is expected for an event of this size.”

According to the Nevada Seismological Laboratory, the quake was felt as far away as the Sacramento Valley, Merced and Fresno.

The Nevada-Eastern California border region has a history of large, damaging earthquakes and residents should always consider earthquake preparedness. Information is available at the Great Nevada Shakeout website or at http://www.readywashoe.com.

Residents across Carson Valley felt Friday’s quake, which had a rolling quality as it propagated across the region.

The earthquake knocked items off shelves at a Carson City supermarkets.

In its wake, Nevada Department of Transportation bridge inspectors fanned out across the region to check all 32 bridges for possible damage.

State transportation spokeswoman Meg Ragonese said inspectors found no visible damage to columns, beams and decks from the quake.

East Fork emergency personnel also conducted a survey of the region and found no damage.