USGS: 6.5 magnitude earthquake reported outside Reno, felt in California

DETROIT – A preliminary 6.5 magnitude earthquake was detected early Friday morning just outside Reno, Nevada, USGS reports.

The quake occurred in a remote area of the state between Reno and Las Vegas, and people from Salt Lake City, Utah, to California’s Central Valley tweeted that they felt it. There are no reports of injuries at this time.

The initial quake struck about 4.7 miles (7.6 kilometers) deep, the USGS said, and at least six sizable aftershocks were recorded shortly thereafter, including two with estimated magnitudes of 5.4.

Earthquakes exceeding 7.0 magnitude are considered “major,” and can cause serious damage.

“It really shook a lot of groceries off the shelves,” Keith Hasty, an employee at a gas station in Tonopah, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Hasty said residents who frequented the store were all talking about the quake.

“We have a lot of locals coming in saying their TVs were shaking, they felt it,” said Hasty. “No damage that I’ve heard of. My boss just called and said his garage shook.”