Nevada quakes jolt Las Vegas

A magnitude-5.6 quake near the California-Nevada border struck at 9:06 a.m., followed 21 minutes later by a magnitude-5.2 shaker, said Pat Jorgenson, spokeswoman for the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park, Calif.

The epicenters were 130 miles northwest of Las Vegas along a remote, sparsely-inhabited border area east of California's Death Valley National Park, she said.

"That's two pretty strong shakers. Maybe a few things would have fallen off shelves," Jorgenson said, adding, "the Sierra Nevada are riddled with faults."

Several Las Vegas high-rise hotels reported calls from guests wondering what was happening.

A security guard at the Stratosphere Hotel and Tower, who asked that his name not be used, said that several people called, including an employee at the top of the 1,149-foot tower who reported "a little vibration."

Employees at the Las Vegas Hilton and the Mirage also reported guests calling to ask about the movement, but said the resort sustained no damage and no injuries to any guests or employees.

Clark County Aviation Director Randy Walker said employees in the control tower at McCarran International Airport felt movement at the time of the quake but nothing was shut down.

"It wasn't something people got overly concerned about," Walker said.

A Las Vegas Metropolitan Police dispatcher who requested anonymity said dispatchers had received "quite a few calls" but no reports of damage or injuries.

"The callers were just trying to figure out what had happened," the dispatcher said. "They reported things shaking and plants swinging."

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