M 3.6 near Circleville, UT

PRESS RELEASE

University of Utah Seismograph Stations
Released: May 25, 2021 04:00 PM MDT

The University of Utah Seismograph Stations reports that a minor earthquake of magnitude 3.6 occurred in southern Utah at 03:14 PM on May 25, 2021 (MDT).  The epicenter of the shock was located beneath Granite Valley in the southern Tushar Mountains, 10 mi SW of the town of Circleville, UT, and 45 miles NE of Cedar City, Utah. Today’s earthquake occurred in a seismically active area of Utah.
A total of 47 earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater have occurred within 16 mi of the epicenter of this event since 1962. The largest of these events was a magnitude 4.6 on January 03, 2011,
6.5 mi NW of Circleville, UT.

Anyone who felt the earthquake is encouraged to fill out a survey form on the US Geological Survey website: earthquake.usgs.gov.

Earthquake Summary:

Date (UTC):   May 25, 2021         Time (UTC):   21:14

Date (local): May 25, 2021         Time (local): 03:14 PM MDT

Latitude:     38 4.65′ N

Longitude:    112 24.32′ W

Preferred magnitude: 3.60 Ml

2019 Annual Report

2019 was an exciting year for the University of Utah Seismograph Stations. We welcomed new students and staff, had an earthquake sequence widely felt in the Salt Lake Valley, and were involved in several interesting research projects.

We welcomed several new faces to our team. Dr. Ben Baker joined us as a research scientist and co-taught a new course “Statistical Applications to Earthquake Seismology” with associate director Kris Pankow, to great student reception. We also gained full-time communications specialist Rebecca Sumsion. UUSS brought on two postdoctoral research associates: Dr. Maria Mesimeri and Dr. James Holt. They’ve been a great contribution to important research projects.

At the beginning of the year, there was excitement in Bluffdale, Utah, at the south end of the Salt Lake Valley where an earthquake sequence took place between February – April. The event generated a lot of public interest since the sequence occurred in a densely populated area. UUSS received a lot of media attention and we participated in several interviews for local news networks and newspapers.

We’re proud of the many graduate and undergraduate students we have working for us. 2019 brought a lot of opportunity for great student-led research projects. Research projects included investigating the fault location of the Bluffdale sequence, earthquakes that occurred around the Utah FORGE seismometer deployment and an intriguing swarm near the San Rafael Swell.

We are excited to announce that we joined the International Seismological Centre and are looking forward to the exposure this opportunity will provide. UUSS also joined in celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Utah Seismic Safety Commission at the state capitol.

2019 closed with the annual American Geophysical Union fall meeting. UUSS had a strong representation and were included in several presentations. I’m proud of the work we do and look forward to more opportunities in 2020.

Make sure to follow us on social media: @uussquake on Twitter and Instagram and @UUSeismographStations on Facebook.

Best Wishes, Keith D. Koper, UUSS Director