Earthquake rattles Mineral County area
Mineral County residents joined a chorus of other Facebook users after a 5.8 magnitude earthquake hit about seven miles southeast of Lincoln on Thursday, July 7, at 12:30 a.m. The quake could be felt 500 miles away and social media exploded as people posted their experiences and surprise within minutes of it happening.
People in Spokane, Washington; Lewiston, Idaho; and as far away as Calgary Alberta, Canada, chimed in with reports that they felt the tremor. There were also reports of items falling off grocery shelves and a section of an old building in uptown Butte had toppled onto the sidewalk below. Several aftershocks ranging from 4.9 to 2.9 could be felt that morning and into the next day. Lincoln also lost power for a while after the initial quake.
A couple who live two miles from Lincoln also posted a photo of a long, deep crack scarring an old dirt road as a result of it. The crack measured about a foot across and left approximately a six-inch gap between the two halves of the road.
According to earthquaktrack.com, seven earthquakes occurred in Western Montana within the 24 hours of the July 7 quake, with a 3.0 hitting near Ovando around 10:30 p.m. on Sunday that could be felt as far away as Kalispell.
The site also said that there have been 65 earthquakes within the past seven days, 290 in the past 30 days and 710 in the past 365 days. Yellowstone National Park has been experiencing an earthquake swarm since June 12, with 878 quakes recorded within a two-week period. The majority of the quakes were no greater than a magnitude of 1 with the largest recorded at 4.4. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the swarms in Yellowstone are a common occurrence and there’s very little worry over anything significant happening in the area.
According to reports, even if Yellowstone erupts, it would probably be a lava flow which would have very little regional or continental effect.
Quakes range in severity, with those 5.0 to 5.9 described as “causing damage of varying severity to poorly constructed buildings. At most, none to slight damage to all other buildings and is felt by everyone.” There are generally 1,000 to 1,500 per year.
Nine or greater described as “at or near total destruction with severe damage or collapse to all buildings. Heavy damage and shaking extends to distance locations.” There is generally one per 10 to 50 years.
Though the quake that hit last week is extremely rare, Montana has experienced severe quakes in its past. In 1935 a series of several hundred quakes hit Helena, which damaged more than half of Helena’s buildings. Also, in 2005 a 5.6 quake rattled Dillon and damaged part of the old main hall at the University of Montana-Western.
But perhaps the most searing memory of a quake was the largest one that ever hit the state. In August 1959 a quake with a 7.5 magnitude slammed close to Hebgen Lake, near Yellowstone. It was 50 times stronger than last week’s quake and caused a massive landslide. It was estimated that 50 million to 80 million tons of rock slid down a mountainside near the lake, burying around 28 campers sleeping at the mountain’s base and injuring several more.
Though it could be another 40 years before Montanans feel another major earthquake precautions were sent out in a press release by AAA. Recommendations for staying safe during an earthquake include conducting family drills where everyone knows which areas in the room are the safest. Such as underneath a table or against a wall. They recommend staying away from windows, fireplaces and tall furniture. Also, homes should be equipped with emergency kits which include water, nonperishable food, battery operated radio, flashlight, extra batteries and a first-aid kit. People should also know how to shut off their home’s gas, water and electricity.