"The earthquake sequence in west Reno is not a scientific surprise, and a large earthquake there would not be a scientific surprise. People need to be prepared," John Anderson, director of the Nevada Seismological Laboratory, said in a briefing Tuesday with Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons.

Gibbon said he wants to make sure the public understands the risk of an earthquake and how to minimize the dangers. "Getting information like this out to the community is critically important," the governor said.

The university said more than 100 faculty and staff members are involved in some aspect of earthquake research and programming.

"We are not predicting an earthquake; we cannot predict an earthquake," Anderson said. "An important point to make about Nevada is that we face a seismic hazard. On average, the state experiences a magnitude 7.0 earthquake about every 25 to 30 years."