Scientists at the Nevada Seismological Laboratory respond to several rumors going around about the recent swarm of earthquakes in the Reno area.

The smaller quakes near the surface are more common with volcanic quakes, [Ken Smith, a seismologist with the lab,] said. But the bigger quakes, such as the 4.7 that struck Friday night, are too big for volcanic activity, Smith said. The frequency of waves produced by the Mogul quakes is too high to be associated with volcanic events, he said.

The swarm is still ongoing, although the frequency has slowed up a tad in the past couple of days.