Utah Hit With 5.7-Magnitude Earthquake, State’s Most Powerful Since 1992

An earthquake with a 5.7 magnitude struck near Salt Lake City, Utah, on Wednesday morning. It was the strongest earthquake to hit Utah since 1992.

Thousands of residents are without power, operations at state health labs working to battle the outbreak of coronavirus have been suspended, and numerous flights bound for the Salt Lake City airport have been rerouted.

The earthquake struck at around 7:09 a.m. local time. The epicenter was roughly 10 miles west of the Utah state capital, closest to the town of Magna.

In 1992, a 5.9 event occurred near St. George, an area roughly 300 miles southwest of Salt Lake City near the state’s borders with Arizona and Nevada. The U.S. Geological Survey noted that Utah typically experiences earthquakes of a magnitude 5 or greater once in a decade, while quakes greater than 6 tend to occur only once every 50 years, based on data stretching back to the 1850s.

Six aftershocks were reported in the first 20 minutes after the initial quake.

No deaths linked to the event have been reported but there have been numerous reports of property damage and gas leaks.

The Utah Division of Emergency Management has downplayed concerns of a second, bigger quake to follow, citing data which showed that initial quakes are the strongest 95% of the time.

Around 47,000 Utah residents were left without power following the quake, leaving many stuck inside while attempting to practice social distancing in response to the spread of Covid-19. As of Tuesday, the state had 51 confirmed cases of the infectious virus.

“I know the last thing we need right now is an earthquake, but here we are, and it sounds like aftershocks are likely,” Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall said in a tweet. “The city is assessing the situation now and I'll circle back with an update when I have it. Be safe.”