Nevada Earthquake Safety Council
The mission of the Nevada Earthquake Safety Council (NESC) is to be advisor to the Nevada Earthquake Risk Reduction Program. The Council facilitates public input, develops consensus about seismic issues within the public and private sectors, and is the public advisory body for State seismic safety policy.

Nevada Seismological Laboratory
The Nevada Seismological Laboratory has links to information on whether or not you should buy earthquake insurance, earthquakes and school safety, how to survive earthquakes, and the guide: “Living With Earthquakes in Nevada: A Nevadan’s Guide“.

Earthquakes in Southern Nevada
Uncovering Hazards and Mitigating Risks

Las Vegas Valley, Nevada is a northwest trending valley situated in the southern portion of the Basin and Range province of western North America. It is a broad sedimentary basin composed primarily of Quaternary alluvial deposits (Tabor, 1982). Recent studies by Slemmons et. al. (2001) have shown that eight tectonically driven faults are located within the valley and are capable of producing earthquakes of a magnitude 5-7.

The city of Las Vegas, Nevada is a rapidly growing community located within the Las Vegas basin. Understanding and assessing the seismic hazards of the city and surrounding area are vital in mitigating disaster for earthquakes. Quaternary faults located within close proximity to the city, in conjunction with the nearby Death Valley fault system are sources of potential earthquakes capable of producing strong ground motions within the basin. Studies by Su et. al. (1998) have shown that strong ground motions in alluvial basins from sources up to 300 km away can be overwhelmingly destructive, as was the case with Mexico City in 1985.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has characterized the city of Las Vegas as being located in an area of high seismic risk. From a FEMA HAZUS calculation based on a M6.9, estimated damages and total loss are expected to be approximately $28 million (Perry and O'Donnell, 2001). Increased awareness, stricter building codes, and more studies are needed to carefully assess the seismic hazards of the Las Vegas Valley.