5.3-magnitude earthquake rattles Nevada near Las Vegas

 

LAS VEGAS --

A magnitude-5.3 earthquake that struck a rural area of southern Nevada has been felt about 100 miles away in Las Vegas and has damaged a highway.

The U.S. Geological Survey says the temblor hit at 11:47 a.m. PDT about 24 miles southwest of the small town of Caliente, Nevada. People took to social media to report feeling the quake.

The Nevada Highway Patrol reported damage to one of the state's busiest highway transition ramps. The ramp where southbound U.S. 95 meets southbound Interstate 15 was shut down around 12:30 p.m. and would stay closed indefinitely.

The Nevada Seismological Laboratory at the University of Nevada Reno says several aftershocks, from magnitude-1.0 to 3.8, followed the larger temblor.

The USGS website recorded hundreds of reports of people feeling the shaking.