LAKEVIEW, Ore. >> The U.S. Geological Survey reports that a magnitude-4.7 earthquake struck the remote desert linking Oregon, California and Nevada.

There are no reports of damage after the temblor hit the northwest corner of Nevada about 40 miles southeast of Lakeview, Oregon, at 2:09 a.m. Thursday. A handful of smaller aftershocks followed.

The sparsely populated area has seen swarms of small earthquakes since July that scientists say can be traced to the constant stretching of the Earth’s crust.