Hector Mine earthquake

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**Hector Mine earthquake**
Date	October 16, 1999
Magnitude	7.1 M_w
Depth:	0.1 kilometres (0 mi)
Epicenter location:	34.36° N 116.116° W
Countries/ regions affected	United States (California)
Max. Intensity:	VIII - Destructive ^[1]
Casualties:	5 minor injuries^[2]

The Hector Mine earthquake was a magnitude 7.1 earthquake that occurred on October 16, 1999 at 2:46:44 PDT 47 Miles ESE of Barstow, California. The earthquake occurred in a remote part of the Mojave Desert, inside the Twentynine Palms marine corps base. Its name comes from a nearby quarry named Hector Mine, which is located 22 kilometres (14 mi) northwest of the epicenter.

The earthquake was so strong that it was felt for 20-30 seconds in Las Vegas, Nevada. Many people were awakened in Las Vegas, with many reporting dizziness or trouble walking. Reports were filed as far north as Carson City, Nevada, where one woman reported waking up, hearing chimes in her house ringing.

Nearly no damage was reported in the immediate area of the earthquake due to the remote location of the epicenter in the Mojave Desert, with no settlements for 14 miles, however Amtrak's westbound Southwest Chief (train #3) was an unusual victim of the earthquake. The train was traveling very near the epicenter when the quake struck. The combined force of the quake and train caused several rails to come loose and the train derailed. Only minor injuries were reported, and the trainset suffered repairable damage.

It was the largest earthquake in the area since the Landers earthquake of June 28, 1992. Foreshocks were felt from as early as 7:41 PDT on October 15, with the largest foreshock measuring at 3.8.