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Two notable earthquakes, as well as thousands of aftershocks, recently affected our neighboring states, Idaho and Utah. A 5.7-magnitude event struck near Salt Lake City, Utah, in mid-March, and in late March, a 6.5-magnitude earthquake occurred near Stanley, Idaho.

At the WSGS, we received reports of people in Wyoming having felt both earthquakes, and we have fielded numerous questions regarding whether these events were related to a potential eruption of the Yellowstone volcano in northwestern Wyoming. We are happy to say the answer is no.

The recent earthquakes occurred on an unrelated north-south system of active faults that extend through eastern Utah and central Idaho. Scientists in these states are working to determine the specific faults on which the slip occurred, but we do know that they are related to an extensional region called Basin and Range, which stretches from Mexico to Wyoming. The active faults in Utah and Idaho lie respectively on the eastern edge and northernmost extent of the Basin and Range, where faulting is still active.

These two large earthquakes were over 200 miles away from Yellowstone, and there is no volcanic activity related to these faults. Rest assured, these earthquakes do not indicate an imminent volcanic eruption.

Related Links www.wsgs.wyo.gov - Wyoming State Geological Survey