Earthquakes occur when pressure built up beneath the Earth's thin crust is suddenly released. At first the crust may bend, but if the stress is great enough, the rocks break and snap to a new position, usually along fractures in the earth known as faults. If a fault lies close to the surface, it may become visible after a large earthquake, as it did here. Between July and December 1954, six earthquakes and two major aftershocks struck western Nevada and eastern California. The largest, measuring 7.3 on the Richter Scale, was centered seven miles west of here on December 16th. These earthquakes were felt as far away as Elko, Nevada, and Sacramento, California. More than 50 miles of faulting were exposed on Fairview Peak and in the Stillwater Range to the northwest. In a matter of moments, the mountains rose an average of six feet relative to the surrounding valleys, and in some places they rose more than 20 feet.