Hi Petra. Those two quakes are in the Walker Lane Belt, which is a part of the (ECSZ) Eastern California Shear Zone. The Olancha 3.0Ml quake located at 36.42N/117.87W is not to far south of the Owens Valley 1872, 7.8Mw quake located at 36.70N/118.00W.

The Walker Lane is a northwest-trending zone of odd-looking topography that sits between the Sierra Nevada tectonic block and the actively extending Basin and Range Province. Overall, the Walker Lane shows right-lateral motion. Current thought is that the Walker Lane accommodates a portion of the relative motion between the Pacific and North American plates that is not taken up by slip along the San Andreas fault system or by extension in the Basin and Range. It looks like, from recent GPS and geologic studies, about 6 mm/yr of northwest-directed motion should be transmitted through the central Walker Lane, between 38° and 39° north latitude and about 117.5° and 119° west longitude. There are five faults in the Walker Lane domain that appear active: four left-stepping NW-striking faults and one north-striking normal fault. In addition, there are numerous active faults in the Excelsior-Coaldale domain to the south that are east-northeast striking.

I suspect that what were seeing is an ongoing trend of movement along the ECSZ and to have a 5.0Md to 7.0Md occur again in that area is not out of the realm of possibilities. As a matter of fact it is quite plausible to have a quake in the 6.5Md range along any part of the Walker Lane Belt from the Coso Volcanic Fields to the Truckee area.

There are some who are saying that the Hector Mine quake may be the continuation of the Walker Lane Belt towards the south. To the best of my knowledge there is no study currently being done on that possibility.

I’m still looking for your “deep, dark and ugly” so when it makes its location known
hopefully I will have the data that will identify it. Take Care…Don in creepy town