Did you feel it? The USGS wants to know. Contribute to citizen science and report your experience here:
Felt Report – Tell Us!
Video time sequence of the Magna earthquake and its aftershocks through 4/7/2020 at 7:09 a.m. MDT
Since the magnitude 5.7 Magna earthquake on March 18, 2020, we have received many earthquake-related questions and requests for more information.
We have teamed up with the Division of Emergency Management (DEM) and University of Utah Seismograph Stations (UUSS), among others, to launch a new website at earthquakes.utah.gov.
Magnitude 6.5 Earthquake Shakes Central Idaho
What does it mean for Utah? Learn more at earthquakes.utah.gov.
Magnitude 5.7 Earthquake Hits Utah
On the morning of Wednesday, March 18, 2020, northern Utah experienced a magnitude (M) 5.7 earthquake with an epicenter north of Magna, Utah.
The University of Utah Seismograph Stations has located 2,320 earthquakes that occurred in the Magna, Utah, area from March 18 through June 24. The largest of these earthquakes was the magnitude (M) 5.7 mainshock that occurred at 7:09 am on Wednesday, March 18. The remaining 2,319 earthquakes are aftershocks. The largest aftershocks were two M 4.6 events that occurred at 8:02 am and 1:12 pm on Wednesday, March 18. Two M 4.2 aftershocks occurred on April 14 and 17th which were widely felt along the Wastach Front. There have been 40 aftershocks of M 3 and larger.
Field teams of geologists from the Utah Geological Survey mobilized to look for evidence of surface fault rupture, liquefaction, lateral spread, and other geological effects from the earthquake.
Generalized cross section showing a fault rupture which causes an earthquake and generates seismic waves.
For additional information on the March 18 Magna earthquake, and how you can be prepared for future earthquakes, see the following information sources:
UUSS Press Conference on 5.7 Magnitude Earthquake
3D Model of Earthquake Locations
Was the March 18, 2020, Magna Earthquake in the Forecast?
In 2016, the Working Group on Utah Earthquake Probabilities (WGUEP) published a 50-year forecast for moderate to large earthquakes in the Wasatch Front region. They determined there was a 93% chance of having one or more earthquakes of magnitude 5 or larger in that time period. Given that high probability, the March 18, 2020, magnitude 5.7 Magna earthquake was an expected earthquake.
It’s important to understand that the Magna earthquake was not “The Big One” that Utah residents hear about from time to time. The Wasatch Front area has the potential to experience an earthquake larger than magnitude 7, up to a maximum of about magnitude 7.6, which would result in far greater and wide-ranging damage, injuries, and likely deaths. In their 50-year forecast, the WGUEP determined there is a 43% probability, or about a 1-in-2 chance, of having one or more earthquakes of magnitude 6.75 or greater in that time period.
The Magna earthquake should be a reminder that Utahns live in earthquake country, and that there is a reasonable chance that people living in Utah today could experience a large earthquake in their lifetime. As a society, we shouldn’t fear the future, but we should prepare for it.
The WGUEP full scientific report can be accessed here.
A non-technical fact sheet summarizing the WGUEP can be accessed here.
Earthquake Hazard Resources
Magna Earthquake Digital Clearinghouse
The UGS Geologic Hazards Program has put together a digital clearinghouse of photos and resources from the Magna M5.7 Earthquake. These items are available to anyone and can be freely distributed. More items will be added as our field teams continue to investigate the recent earthquakes.
