Utah State University - » Earthquake shakes up northern Utah

Earthquake shakes up northern Utah

April 16th, 2010 Posted in Opinion

By Kayla Harding and Cassidee Cline

LOGAN–An earthquake with a magnitude of 4.9 hit Rich County and shook Utah and surrounding states Wyoming and Idaho just before 6 p.m. Thursday night.

The earthquake hit the northeast corner of the state, roughly five miles northeast of the small town of Randolph.

The University of Utah Seismograph Stations reported in a press release that a total of four earthquakes with a magnitude of 3.0 or greater have occurred within 16 miles of the epicenter of this event since 1962. The largest of these earthquakes was a magnitude 3.8 in 1979. One earthquake of magnitude 4.6 occurred in 1966 within 32 miles of the epicenter of today’s event.

The Rich County Sheriff’s Office said there were no reports of damage or casualties from the quake.

The seismologists at the University of Utah said  the earthquake was reported by hundreds of residents from cities such as Logan, Morgan, Ogden and Salt Lake City.

Many USU students felt the obvious movement across Logan.

Chance Nelson, a sophomore in graphic design, was working in a Logan Pepsi warehouse when he noticed the quake. “I thought it was wind at first coming from the bay doors and blowing all the pallets back and forth, then I realized there was no wind,” he said.

Kylie Walters, a junior in family and consumer sciences education, was working as a facilitator for distance education classes at the USU business building. “All of a sudden I felt a little disoriented, and it felt like a big truck was going by and rumbling the ground,” she said.

When the quake struck, Walters was connected via satellite to a class in Salt Lake City, and those students suddenly said to hold on while they were shaken by the earthquake for about a minute.

Madi Parker, a freshman in special education, said she felt the quake at Convergys in Logan. “I was sitting at work and all of a sudden the ground started shaking and everyone around me was looking around asking each other if we felt it,” Parker said. “It wasn’t too strong but definitely noticeable.”

Brynne Lytle is a student at USU living in the Bridgerland apartments.  She said she felt the ground start shaking for about 15 seconds but didn’t realize what it was until her dad texted her about it.  “It was just a weird sensation,” she said.

Not everyone felt the tremor. JCOM professors Brenda Cooper and Ted Pease were making a presentation at Hamilton’s restaurant in North Logan, but didn’t notice the quake. Sitting in the audience, USU Honors Director Christie Fox told Facebook that she felt the remor.

Students at USU’s Living and Learning Community said they didn’t feel a thing, while others said they felt a little off balance.

NW/TP

Tags: earthquake, Randolph, USU students