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| USGS earthquake location map. |
January 3, 2015 - IDAHO, UNITED STATES - The earthquake, confirmed by the U.S. Geological Survey, comes roughly two weeks after a 3.7-magnitude quake in the same area.
Saturday's quake was recorded at 10:44 a.m. about four miles east of Challis. It was felt at least as far away as the Treasure Valley, about 120 miles directly southwest, and in western Montana according to reports on social media and in emails to the Statesman.
Penny Shinderling, an employee at Lamb's Foodtown in Challis, told the Statesman that a couple of things fell off shelves in the store but otherwise the quake "just gave us a good shake."
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| USGS shakemap intensity. |
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| The location of Saturday's earthquake near Challis, as displayed on earthquake. usgs.gov. |
"There is no damage or injury here in Challis. My pharmacy had a few things knocked onto the floor," Troy Westerberg wrote in an email to the Statesman. "The shaking was severe. It is definitely the talk of the town."
Linda Lumpkin, a dispatcher for the Custer County Sheriff's Office, told the Associated Press that the sheriff's office has not received reports of injuries or damage. She said the quake did cause rock slides that blocked some lanes on several roads, so sheriff's deputies went out to direct traffic as transportation crews started clean-up.
Scientists have been studying the most recent earthquake swarm near Challis, hoping to better understand faults near Yellowstone National Park.
"There's obviously a fault down there at depth to produce these, and the town of Challis happens to be built on top of it," scientist Mike Stickney of the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology based in Butte, Montana, told the Associated Press in December. "We have no indication that it's leading to a larger event."
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| Boise State seismometer shows Boise earthquake. |
The earthquakes have been a topic of conversation in Challis lately, Shinderling said, as they remind folks of Idaho's largest recorded quake - a magnitude 6.9 in 1983 that left scarring along the mountains near Borah Peak.
As for whether she's worried about a repeat?
"We've had little ones this spring and it didn't amount to anything," Shinderling said. "We will or we won't."
What readers have to say this morning, over email and on our Facebook page:
John Freemuth: "In Sun Valley and was sitting the time...I felt nothing and I have been in a few earthquakes."
Gilda Roberts: "I felt it at Maple Grove & Emerald - my cat and my dog from a sound sleep jumped up and ran to me! At the time I thought that it was an earthquake - I was living in Portland, ME in 1978-1979 when there was one near Boston that knocked dishes out of our kitchen cabinets!"
Terry Rogers: "I did feel it! A sharp jolt of short duration felt in McCall!"
Kim Fabricius Stout: "Felt it in Genesee!"
Juneanne Longmire Gergen: "I felt my entire house shake and watched things moving (near Maple Grove & Ustick)!"
Nicole McHarguement Strain: "Felt in Nampa."
Susan Durst: "Yes, sitting at dining room table outside of McCall and whole house sort of 'shifted.' Amazing!"
Dottie Neher: "Yes, the earthquake was felt in Lowman, and there was a low roar."
Idaho - Earthquake History
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| Seismicity Map - 1973 to March 2012 |
The first earthquake causing damage in Idaho's earthquake history occurred on November 9, 1884, apparently centering in northern Utah. Six shocks were reported felt at Paris, Idaho, causing considerable damage to houses. People suffered from nausea.
A shock on November 11, 1905, was felt in the southern half of Idaho and parts of Utah and Oregon. At Shoshone, Idaho, walls cracked and plaster fell.
On May 12, 1916, Boise was hit by a shock which wrecked chimneys and caused people to rush into the streets. Reclamation ditches were damaged and the flow of natural gas altered. It was felt at Loon Creek, 120 miles northeast, and in eastern Oregon - an area of 50,000 square miles.
An intensity VII earthquake occurred within the State on July 12, 1944. The Seafoam Ranger Station building shook so hard the occupants thought it was coming apart. Several people reported that the shaking was so violent they were unable to walk. Another observer reported that rocks rose at least a foot in the air and looked like a series of explosions up the hill. Part of the canyon wall collapsed near Lime Creek. Cracks opened 100 yards long in Duffield Canyon and cracks one to three inches across and several hundred yards long opened on the road below Seafoam. Two chimneys fell at Cascade. This shock was felt over 70,000 square miles, including all of central Idaho, and parts of Washington, Oregon, and Montana.
The magnitude 7.1 earthquake at Hebgen Lake, Montana, on August 17, 1959, which killed 28 people, formed "Quake Lake," and did $11 million damage to roads and timber, also caused some damage in Idaho. Intensity VII was experienced in the Henry's Lake, Big Springs, and Island Park areas. Big Springs increased its flow 15 percent and became rusty red colored. A man was knocked down at Edward's Lodge. There was considerable damage to building in the Henry's Lake area. Trees swayed violently, breaking some roots, and cars jumped up and down. Chimneys fell and a 7-foot-thick rock-and-concrete dock cracked.
In the Island Park area chimneys were toppled and wells remained muddy for weeks. At Mack's Inn, a small girl was thrown from bed and hysteria occurred among some guests. Dishes were broken.
An intensity VII earthquake occurred on August 30, 1962, in the Cache Valley area of Utah. Two large areas of land totaling four acres, five feet thick, slid 300 yards downhill at Fairview, Idaho, opening new springs. Plaster walls, and chimneys were cracked and a chimney fell at Franklin. Falling brick at the Franklin School cracked through the roof and plaster was cracked in every room. Additional damage occurred at Preston. This magnitude 5.7 earthquake was felt over an area of 65,000 square miles in five states and cause approximately $1 million in damage.
An intensity VI shock, on November 1, 1942, centered near Sandpoint and affected 25,000 square miles of Washington, Montana, and Idaho. The Northern Pacific Railroad partially suspended operations to inspect the right of way for boulders and slides. Church services were interrupted, but only minor damage was reported by homes.
A February 13, 1945, shock near Clayton, felt over a 60,000 square mile area, broke some dishes at Idaho City and cracked plaster at Weisner.
A locally sharp shock was felt at Wallace on December 18, 1957, damaging the Galena Silver Mine and frightening miners working 3,400 feet underground.
Soda Springs was shaken by a shock on August 7, 1960, which cracked plaster and a concrete foundation. It was only felt over a 900 square mile area.
Two intensity VI shocks were reported in 1963. The first on January 27, was felt over 6,000 square miles and centered near Clayton, where plaster and windows were cracked. Large boulders rolled down the hill near Camp Livingston and aftershocks were felt for a week. The second occurred on September 10 and was a magnitude 4.1 shock. It caused minor damage at Redfish Lake. Thunderous earth noises were heard.A magnitude 4.9 shock on April 26, 1969, cracked a foundation at Ketchum, plaster at Livingston Mills, and a cement floor at Warm Springs. It was felt over 9,000 square miles. - USGS.
