Anyone feel the small earthquake last night? The micro event occurred about 3 miles outside of Mapleton, Utah.

fox13now.com

The United States Geological Surveys (USGS) reported that a 2.9 magnitude earthquake hit Utah Monday morning.

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See the Univeristy of Utah Preliminary Earthquake Report HERE.

Causes of earthquakes in remote areas remain a mystery. Read more on what scientists think is going on in Afghanistan where a 7.5 earthquake recently shook the area.

news.nationalgeographic.com

The magnitude 7.5 earthquake that shook northeast Afghanistan and Pakistan on Monday was a type of quake not easily understood by scientists, even though it happened in what the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) calls “one of the most seismically hazardous regions on Earth.”

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An earthquake felt round the world. Research shows that large earthquakes may trigger smaller earthquakes thousands of miles away.

smithsonianmag.com

On April 11, 2012, an 8.6 magnitude earthquake in the Indian Ocean shook the Sumatran coast. Only a day later—3,900 miles (6,230 km) away—seismologists detected a set of smaller temblors rattling the eastern coast of Japan.

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news.nationalgeographic.com

When we hear that a magnitude 8 earthquake has struck, we know that’s worse than a magnitude 4 earthquake. But how much worse?

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If you missed it a couple of weeks ago, here is an article outlining the paleoseismic study some of our UGS geologists helped with on a trench.

nextcity.org

Not far from I-215 in Salt Lake City, near the airport, a deep trench cuts through the earth. Though it looks like a sewer repair project, there’s nothing down here but dirt. And dirt, to the trained eye, can reveal quite a bit about a city’s future.

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The Silver Lake Flat Dam is getting a makeover to improve stability in the event of a large earthquake

ksl.com

Nestled high in the mountains above several northern Utah County communities, the Silver Lake Flat Dam could fail in an earthquake, sending gushing waters down the canyon and likely killing a couple thousand people.

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The USSC is the central state organization for reducing Utah’s earthquake risk by coordinating efforts, developing public policy, and disseminating results. Here you can find a large earthquake Salt Lake City scenario, and helpful booklet “Putting Down Roots” on preparing for earthquakes. Use the search to find all other USSC documents including photographs and PDFs. Visit the website HERE to help make a plan with your family and friends!

Other helpful links:
Where to Find Earthquake Information
Putting Down Roots PDF

UGS geologists conducting a trench investigation to gather fault and earthquake data.

Take a quick minute today on your afternoon break to think about earthquake preparedness. What have you done around your home to help relieve potential damage from a large earthquake? Have you talked to your family and friends, do you have an action plan if an earthquake occurs?

A team of geologists, including some of our very own Utah Geological Survey geologists, have been studying the Taylorsville-West Valley City fault over the last couple of weeks. They hope to gain a better understanding of the fault’s ability to produce large earthquakes, and if that fault tends to rupture with or without the Wasatch Fault. Below are a couple of articles outlining all of their hard work and findings!

deseretnews.com

Geologists sample Taylorsville-West Valley fault line to study earthquake risk

A team of geologists has dug a 150-foot trench by the Salt Lake City International Airport to study the Taylorsville-West Valley City fault, and its rock samples will help scientists forecast when the next major earthquake could erupt along the Wasatch fault.

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ksl.com

Utahns ‘lulled into a false sense of security’ in earthquake prep

A team of geologists has dug a 150-foot trench by the Salt Lake City International Airport to study the Taylorsville-West Valley City fault, and its rock samples will help scientists forecast when the next major earthquake could erupt along the Wasatch fault.

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A wonderful resource for earthquake safety and preparedness has just been released. The report was developed by the Utah Chapter of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) and was prepared for the Utah Seismic Safety Commission.

The Scenario for a Magnitude 7.0 Earthquake on the Wasatch Fault-Salt Lake City Segment: Hazards and Loss Estimates report provides information about the effects of the Wasatch fault scenario earthquake-in particular, how long it may take the state of Utah and its residents to fully recover and the potential long-term impacts on Utah’s economy. The ultimate goal of this report is to catalyze public and private actions that will increase pre-disaster resiliency through earthquake preparedness-being prepared to WITHSTAND, to RESPOND, and to RECOVER.

Follow this link to obtain a PDF copy HERE!

UGS geologists conducting a trench investigation to gather fault and earthquake data.

We hope you all had an enjoyable and safe long Labor Day weekend! Here’s a little story for the Tuesday morning catchup. A research team, including some of our UGS geologists, are studying a portion of the Taylorsville-West Valley City Fault to gain a better sense of past earthquakes on the fault. Read more!

fox13now.com

A research team is digging up a portion of the Taylorsville-West Valley City Fault out by the Salt Lake City International Airport, and their goal is to get a better sense of the danger from that fault and how big of an earthquake it could create.

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