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<\/a>Why has the western United States suddenly been shaking so violently over the past several weeks?\u00a0 On Tuesday, the constant barrage of headlines about the coronavirus pandemic was interrupted by an enormous earthquake that hit central Idaho.\u00a0 Of course Idaho is not exactly known for earthquakes, and so this was quite a surprise.\u00a0 In fact, the largest quake in Idaho history was\u00a0the magnitude 6.9 Borah Peak earthquake<\/a>\u00a0in 1983.\u00a0 So when a magnitude 6.5 earthquake stuck not too far from Boise on Tuesday, it really stunned a whole lot of people.\u00a0 And according to the Spokesman-Review, this quake could be felt\u00a0as far away as Calgary<\/a>\u2026<\/p>\nAn earthquake hit southern Idaho on Tuesday afternoon, with shakes felt as far as Calgary, Canada, Boise and Spokane.<\/p>\n
The United States Geological Survey measured a 6.5-magnitude earthquake at a depth of 10 miles just before 5 p.m. The center of the quake took place about 45 miles west of Challis, Idaho.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
This is an event that those living up in the Northwest will remember for a long time to come.\u00a0 There was a tremendous amount of shaking all over the region, and\u00a0according to at least one report<\/a>\u00a0some people actually \u201cran outside yelling\u201d\u2026<\/p>\n
An entry in Volcano Discovery said: \u201cSustained moderate shaking for several minutes, Rumbling sound heard, people ran outside yelling. Knickknacks fell off shelf.<\/p>\n
\u201cItems suspended from ceiling\/beams still slightly swaying 10 minutes later.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
All the way over in Helena, Montana someone described the shaking like being\u00a0\u201con a small ship at sea during a storm\u201d<\/a>, and a restaurant owner in Stanley, Idaho reported that\u00a0\u201cthe water next to me is still vibrating\u201d<\/a>\u2026<\/p>\n
Brett Woolley, a restaurant owner in Stanley, said he heard earthquake coming before he felt it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI heard the roar, and at first it sounded like the wind but then the roar was tremendous,\u201d Woolley said about 10 minutes after the earthquake. \u201cThe whole house was rattling, and I started to panic. I\u2019m sitting here perfectly still and the water next to me is still vibrating.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
The epicenter of this earthquake was approximately 78 miles from Boise and\u00a0approximately 330 miles from Yellowstone<\/a>.<\/p>\n
Needless to say, any major seismic event anywhere near Yellowstone is a cause for concern.<\/p>\n
And of course this quake comes less than two weeks after a magnitude 5.7 earthquake hit near Salt Lake City\u00a0on March 18th<\/a>\u2026<\/p>\n
An earthquake struck near Salt Lake City Wednesday morning, shutting down a major air traffic hub, damaging a spire atop a temple and frightening millions of people already on edge from the coronavirus pandemic.<\/p>\n
Though there were no reports of injuries and no damage was immediately reported in areas along the Utah-Idaho border, there was damage scattered in the Salt Lake City area \u2014 with the earthquake showering bricks onto sidewalks and releasing a chemical plume outside the city.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
In fact, that quake caused so much shaking that it actually knocked the trumpet out of the grasp\u00a0of the statue of the angel Moroni<\/a>\u2026<\/p>\n
The 5.7-magnitude earthquake that shook Utah Wednesday morning also dislodged a symbolic part of Salt Lake City\u2019s iconic Mormon temple: the trumpet of an angel statue atop its highest spire.<\/p>\n
The temple is the spiritual focal point for the 16 million members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Following that dramatic seismic event, there have been hundreds of aftershocks.<\/p>\n
And remember, this is not a part of the country that is known for lots of quakes.<\/p>\n
According to the University of Utah Seismograph Stations, there had already been 658 aftershocks from that event\u00a0as of Monday morning<\/a>\u2026<\/p>\n
More than 600 earthquakes have hit across Utah and surrounding areas after a 5.7-magnitude quake struck near Salt Lake City about two weeks ago, according to University of Utah Seismograph Stations.<\/p>\n
As of Monday morning, the University of Utah Seismograph Stations, or UUSS, recorded 658 earthquakes as part of a series of aftershocks.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Of course there will be plenty of aftershocks following the quake that just hit Idaho as well.<\/p>\n
As I write this article, there have already been\u00a0five aftershocks<\/a>\u00a0greater than magnitude 3.0 that have hit the region.\u00a0 By the time you read this article, that number may be substantially higher.<\/p>\n
With all of this shaking going on in Idaho and Utah, many on the west coast may be wondering if they are next.<\/p>\n
According to CalTech, there have been\u00a0more than 1,100 earthquakes<\/a>\u00a0in California and Nevada over the last 7 days.\u00a0 A couple of magnitude 5 quakes struck off the coast of northern California during March, and that certainly rattled some nerves, but everyone understands that something far, far larger is eventually coming.<\/p>\n
For years, scientists have been telling us that \u201cthe Big One\u201d is way overdue and that we are not prepared for it.<\/p>\n
And for years I have been warning people about what will eventually happen if they remain on the California coastline.<\/p>\n