Strong quake strikes Nevada's gold country

By Doug McMurdo

WELLS, Nevada (Reuters) - A strong earthquake in northeastern Nevada badly damaged the historic center of a remote town and injured several people at dawn on Thursday, but nearby mining operations were only briefly disrupted.

The 6.0 magnitude quake near the town of Wells damaged an estimated 400-700 homes, the high school and some churches, said Gary Derks, operations officer for the Nevada Division of Emergency Management.

The main street dating from the late 1800s suffered the most as ceilings collapsed, windows broke and bricks fell. Although many of its saloons, markets and banks are no longer used, officials had talked about reviving the area.

"The historic district is pretty much done for," said City Manager Jolene Supp.

About 380 miles north of the gambling center of Las Vegas, Wells came to life in the late 19th century as deep, clear springs attracted travelers going west to California.

The Chamber of Commerce touts the town of around 1,600 people as a "perfect setting" for western and road movies.

Sparsely populated northwest Nevada is home to the most prolific gold mining region in the Western hemisphere. Mines quickly resumed their round-the-clock operations even as dozens of aftershocks hit throughout the day.

About 50 miners were underground some 100 miles from the epicenter when the quake hit but they evacuated without incident, said Mary Korpi, a spokeswoman for Newmont Mining Corp.