PRESS RELEASE
University of Utah Seismograph Stations
Released: March 18, 2020 8:20 AM MDT
The University of Utah Seismograph Stations reports that a moderate
earthquake of magnitude 5.7 occurred at 07:09 AM on March 18, 2020
(MDT). The epicenter of the shock was located in the northwestern
Salt Lake Valley, 3.1 mi N of Magna, UT. This earthquake was widely
felt throughout the Wasatch Front area of north-central Utah. It
has been followed by numerous aftershocks, including 20 of magnitude
3.0 or larger during the first hour after the M 5.7 and two of
magnitude 4.0 or larger. The largest aftershock so far was a M 4.6
event that occurred at 7:14 am.
Today’s earthquake was the largest earthquake to occur in Utah since
a magnitude 5.9 earthquake in 1992 in southwestern Utah near St. George.
Today’s earthquake occurred in a seismically active part of the Salt
Lake Valley, where six magnitude 3.0 or larger earthquakes have
occurred since 1962. The largest of these events was a magnitude 5.2
on September 05, 1962, 0.8 mi NE of Magna, 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): March 18, 2020 Time (UTC): 13:09
Date (local): March 18, 2020 Time (local): 07:09 AM MDT
Latitude: 40 45.11′ N
Longitude: 112 4.65′ W
Depth: 10.7 km
Preferred magnitude: 5.7 USGS Mw