3.6-magnitude earthquake hits West Valley City

WEST VALLEY CITY — A 3.6-magnitude earthquake hit West Valley City and portions of the Wasatch Front Friday evening.

The quake hit about 6:32 p.m.; the U.S. Geological Survey’s website shows the quake hit 2.8 miles north-northwest of West Valley City, with the epicenter just northwest of Magna.

Other surrounding areas including Taylorsville, Kearns and Salt Lake City reportedly felt the rumble.

The depth of the quake was estimated to be about 5.3 miles, according to information from the University of Utah Seismograph website.

Ben Diln, of the Utah Department of Natural Resources and Utah Geological Survey, said the rumble “was a small, common earthquake.” He noted that because of its shallow depth originating beneath the densely populated West Valley City, the jolt may have been more than alarming for some.

“While the shaking was felt widely across the Salt Lake Valley and caused a sharp jolt for those near the epicenter, it is important to remember that this was a small earthquake. Seismologists, such as our partners at the University of Utah Seismograph Stations, categorize events of this magnitude as ‘minor,'” he said in a news release late Friday.

Compared to the 2020 5.7-magnitude earthquake in Magna, Diln said Friday’s quake was approximately 150 times smaller and released 2,000 times less energy.

“It is natural to feel anxious or worried about ‘the big one’ when the ground shakes. However, it is important to emphasize that a small quake like today’s is not a signal that a larger disaster is imminent. In the vast majority of cases, these small tremors are simply part of Utah’s normal background seismic activity,” he said.

No damage has been reported.

Friday’s tremor comes a little more than a week after a 3.5-magnitude earthquake shook areas in Utah County last Thursday afternoon.

That quake hit about 12:53 p.m. on Feb. 5, with the epicenter of the rumble happening about 4 miles west-northwest of Saratoga Springs.

Two weeks prior to that on Jan. 22, people from Logan to Provo reportedly felt a 4.7-magnitude earthquake that struck near Evanston, Wyoming at 7:49 a.m.