Author: Becca Sumsion

2020 Annual Report

Posted on by Becca Sumsion
2020 Annual ReportDownload

2020 was an unprecedented year in many ways. University of Utah Seismograph Stations was thrown into the thick of things by not only dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic but also responding to the largest Utah earthquake to occur since 1992.

The pandemic impacted our operations by causing us to work-from-home among other things. There were also complications in working out how to safely conduct field work and research. Overall, UUSS was able to rise to the challenge and quickly adjust to all the changes.

After our first-full day of working-from-home, Utah experienced its largest earthquake since 1992. The March 18, 2020 moderate M5.7 earthquake shook the Wasatch Front and brought a lot of attention to UUSS and our operations, especially as felt aftershocks continued to shake the public for months. We remained busy throughout the year because of the sequence. In a way, the Magna earthquake was a validation of the importance of the work we accomplish and a reminder that Utah is earthquake country.

The Magna, Utah, earthquake sequence provided substantial opportunities for research. Our staff and students worked on several different projects regarding the sequence. Research included documenting how we responded to the earthquake during a pandemic, evidence for a listric Wasatch Fault, and monitoring the sequence with nodal seismometers and machine learning.

Several of the Magna specific projects will be featured in a special issue of Seismological Research Letters that will focus on 2020 Intermountain West earthquakes. The special issue will be published in March 2021.

We’re grateful to call 2020 a successful year even through all the challenges it provided. Our staff and students worked hard and accomplished incredible things. We expect even greater accomplishments in 2021.

Keith D. Koper, UUSS Director

M 3.6 in Yellowstone National Park

Posted on by Becca Sumsion

PRESS RELEASE

University of Utah Seismograph Stations
Released: July 16, 2021 08:15 PM MDT


The University of Utah Seismograph Stations reports that a minor earthquake of magnitude 3.6 occurred at 06:45 PM on July 16, 2021(MDT). The epicenter of the shock was located beneath Yellowstone Lake, 7.4 mi SSE of Fishing Bridge, WY.  This earthquake is part of an intense sequence of small earthquakes, known as a swarm, that began yesterday afternoon (July 15).  There have been approximately 200 earthquakes in this swarm so far, including three others of magnitude 3.0 or larger and approximately 40 in the magnitude range 2 to 3.  Earthquake swarms are common in the Yellowstone National Park region, and account for roughly half of the total seismicity in the Yellowstone region.  The current swarm is occurring in an area that has had swarm activity in the recent past, including the 2008-2009 Yellowstone Lake swarm that included over 800 earthquakes.

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

Earthquake Summary:
Date (UTC): July 17, 2021      Time (UTC): 00:45
Date (local): July 16, 2021     Time (local): 06:45 PM MDT
Latitude: 44 27.64′ N
Longitude: 110 20.83′ W
Preferred magnitude: 3.6 Ml

M 3.7 near Strawberry Reservoir, UT

Posted on by Becca Sumsion

PRESS RELEASE

University of Utah Seismograph Stations
Released: June 09, 2021 02:45 PM MDT

The University of Utah Seismograph Stations reports that a minor earthquake of magnitude 3.7 occurred in northern Utah at 01:52 PM on June 9, 2021 (MDT). The epicenter of the shock was located beneath the Wasatch Range, seven miles northeast of Strawberry Reservoir and 21 miles east of the town of Wallsburg, Utah. This earthquake was reported felt by a few residents of Utah and Salt Lake Valleys. It was followed by a magnitude 2.5 aftershock at 01:55 pm MDT. A magnitude 3.4 earthquake occurred in the same general area in 2006.

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): June 09, 2021

Time (UTC): 19:52

Date (local): June 09, 2021

Time (local): 01:52 PM MDT

Latitude: 40 18.59′ N

Longitude: 111 2.70′ W

Preferred magnitude: 3.7 Ml

2019 Annual Report

Posted on by Becca Sumsion
2019AnnualReportDownload

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

2020 – Magna, UT – M 5.7

Posted on by Becca Sumsion

Intermountain Seismic Belt Historical Earthquake Project

March 18, 2020 – Magna, UT – M 5.7


On Wednesday, March 18, 2020, Utah was jolted by a magnitude 5.7 earthquake that occurred 3.1 miles north of Magna, Utah. The shaking from the earthquake was widely felt throughout the Wasatch Front area of north-central Utah.

Interest from the public was high. In addition to the COVID-19 pandemic and the start of quarantine, this was the first moderate-sized earthquake many Utah residents experienced. Social media and other digital coverage made it a widely-covered event.

There were no serious injuries or deaths that were recorded. Several buildings sustained damages as a result of the earthquake. Magna’s main street and a nearby trailer park were the hardest hit areas. Most of the damage occurred on buildings with unreinforced masonry. Total damage estimates were around $48.5 million a month after the mainshock. 

The M5.7 was the largest earthquake to occur in Utah since a magnitude 5.9 earthquake in 1992 in southwestern Utah near St. George. The earthquake occurred in a seismically active part of the Salt Lake Valley. Before March 18, the area experienced six magnitude 3.0 or larger earthquakes since 1962, the largest being the magnitude 5.2 on September 5, 1962.

The M5.7 was designated the mainshock of the Magna Earthquake Sequence. There were no foreshocks. Over the course of 2–3 months, the aftershocks grew to number over 2,000. This count included 6 earthquakes in the M4 range and 34 earthquakes in the M3 range.

For additional information about this earthquake:

Earthquake Summary 3D Newspaper Articles 3D Photos 3D Blank Thumbnail
  Additional Resources 3D Blank Thumbnail Blank Thumbnail

For more information about this project:

ISB Hist EQ Proj

M 3.0 Near Richfield, UT

Posted on by Becca Sumsion

PRESS RELEASE

University of Utah Seismograph Stations

Released: April 05, 2021 04:00 PM MDT

The University of Utah Seismograph Stations reports that a minor earthquake of magnitude 3.0 occurred at 02:56 PM on April 05, 2021 (MDT). The epicenter of the shock was located beneath Central Valley in south-central Utah, three miles south-southwest of the city of Richfield, Utah. This earthquake was reported felt in Richfield and in the nearby towns of Monroe and Salina. Today’s earthquake occurred within a seismically active area of Utah. Since 1962, 32 earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or greater have occurred within 16 mi of the epicenter of today’s event. The largest of these events was a magnitude 5.2 on October 04, 1967, located 6.3 mi east-southeast of the town of Sevier, 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): April 05, 2021

Time (UTC): 20:56

Date (local): April 05, 2021

Time (local): 02:56 PM MDT

Latitude: 38 43.87′ N

Longitude: 112 6.23′ W

Preferred magnitude: 3.00 Ml

2018 Annual Report

Posted on by Becca Sumsion
The 2018 Annual ReportDownload

2018 was an especially difficult year because of the unexpected death of Dave Drobeck on February 11. Dave served the University of Utah Seismograph Stations (UUSS) for over 20 years and was instrumental in developing the Yellowstone Seismic Network into one of the premier volcano monitoring networks in the world. Dave’s loss was especially hard on the UUSS engineering group—Corey Hatch, Wes O’keefe, and Jon Rusho—who had to take up extra work duties while grieving the loss of their colleague. A summary of Dave’s career was presented by Bob Smith at a ceremony on February 22, and is reprinted in this report. 

While someone like Dave can never truly be replaced, I am happy to report that a former UUSS undergraduate research assistant, ArvindParapuzha, agreed to return to UUSS as a seismic engineer trainee in May, and that Wes O’keefe worked his first full field season in Yellowstone this past fall. On July 1, long-time seismic analyst Mark Hale was promoted to senior application systems analyst. Congratulations, Mark!

The biggest highlight of 2018 was the June 14 announcement that the University of Utah had been selected to receive a $140 million grant from the Department of Energy to develop the Frontier Observatory for Research in Geothermal Energy (FORGE) site near Milford, Utah. The selection was due in no small part to the effort of UUSS associate director Kris Pankow and her team of students and staff, who created a seismic mitigation plan for the project. Dr. Pankow will continue managing the FORGE seismic risk as work ramps up over the next several years.

We look forward to an exciting new year in 2019. I encourage you to visit our revamped web page at quake.utah.edu to stay up-to-date on our new initiatives and products as well as to find out about the latest seismic activity in Utah. You can also follow UUSS on Twitter with the handle @UUSSQuake.

Best wishes,

Keith D. Koper, UUSS Director

Video update about Magnitude 5.7 earthquake in Magna

Posted on by Becca Sumsion

UUSS Director Keith Koper sat down on Facebook live to explain how the UUSS responds to earthquake events, like the Magnitude 5.7 earthquake in Magna, UT. He also shared important things to know and simple steps to take to be prepared.

https://www.facebook.com/UUSeismographStations/videos/3564766870217164/?__xts__[0]=68.ARAH7aPUh4Fl-SwdPuxaBbSwaq0YYxpFPkA0WTPIeywGrYp3VxbC85T68EbRTZRI-7CWVMkyw2CL2A19uE0fgeuvKNbkHjhoHLDWiXfC1g1WEFqlgkg9JtDlW9cnphAISLGoP5b1xlcIffJflW_zeH9i00B9aZ5-K7fKex5eSttYadj43DP-JA9QUU7yWQw7VIqR37I5zcPuHVh5lU022s9iHosHCyqrAY1WlCQKUTgqsji7pyfkNI-dUhDegoZCG1B1F0L1aO35i7gUrzpBPexljpKMlNM7Fo5lLkcRCa4Uf5YGALQXtXHzY1x4ark2nzH7HsMuzuT_OJduJiu5VCPJMucHQOnkTd51SQ&__tn__=-R
https://youtu.be/WlHFjuOqktQ
Sequence Update (April 16, 2020)
https://youtu.be/LwnVkRZt4js
University of Utah Seismograph Stations presentation about the M5.7 Magna, Utah, earthquake. Presented by UUSS director Keith Koper at the Utah Seismic Safety Commission Quarterly Meeting held May 7, 2020.