there will probably be nothing to see here, so move along quickly

Scientists seek clues as earthquakes rattle Reno

RENO, Nev. (AP) — Scientists are scrutinizing seismic readings and studying damage to residents' homes trying to figure out what's happening beneath the earth's surface to cause a troubling swarm of hundreds of earthquakes in northern Nevada.

"We're looking at just about everything," said Diane dePolo, a network seismologist at the University of Nevada, Reno's Seismological Laboratory. "We haven't been able to associate it with any known fault."

During the past week alone, more than 500 mostly minor quakes have been recorded in the area. The two most recent widely felt quakes measured 3.1 and occurred about 11 p.m. Monday...

The shaking is unusual, seismologists say, because the intensity of the quakes has increased over the past few weeks. Generally, earthquakes tend to occur and are followed by smaller aftershocks.