A magnitude 3.9 quake north of Lamar occurred on Sunday.
(Map: USGS)
In a bit of a rarity for the Centennial State, Colorado experienced a 3.9 magnitude earthquake Sunday evening. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake was centered nine miles east of Eads or 26 miles north of Lamar in the southeastern part of the state.
No damage was reported but the temblor was felt into western Kansas. Mary Breslin of Eads told the Denver Post she felt the shaking. "I really thought it was an explosion," Breslin said. "It did not occur to me in the beginning that it was an earthquake."
Originating at a depth of 6.2 miles, the quake occurred at 6:22pm along what state geologist Vince Matthews told the Associated Press might be part of a previously unmapped extension of the Cheraw Fault. See below for complete technical details on the quake.
Map of historical earthquakes in Colorado from 1867 - 1996.
(Map: Colorado Geological Survey)
There are approximately 100 potentially active faults in Colorado and more than 400 temblors of magnitude 2.5 have occurred in the state since 1870. The Sangre de Cristo Fault in the mountain range of the same name and the Sawatch Fault along the Sawatch Range are considered to be the potentially most active.
The state’s largest quake occurred on November 7, 1882 along the northern Front Range and measured 6.5 on the Richter Scale.
According to the Colorado Division of Emergency Management, the costliest quake was a 5.3 magnitude temblor that occurred on August 9, 1967 and was centered near Commerce City. The quake caused more than $1 million worth of damage and is thought to have been caused by the injection of liquid waste into the earth at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal.
Earthquake Details
| Magnitude | 3.9 |
|---|---|
| Date-Time |
|
| Location | 38.459°N, 102.620°W |
| Depth | 10 km (6.2 miles) set by location program |
| Region | COLORADO |
| Distances |
|
| Location Uncertainty | horizontal +/- 6.1 km (3.8 miles); depth fixed by location program |
| Parameters | NST= 31, Nph= 31, Dmin=265.2 km, Rmss=1.29 sec, Gp= 47°, M-type="Nuttli" surface wave magnitude (mbLg), Version=7 |
| Source |
|
| Event ID | us2009kkae |
Related: Colorado earthquake history (USGS)
Comments
I lived in California for many years and have experienced many earthquakes. We now live in Highlands Ranch. I was laying on my daughters bed with her trying to get her to fall asleep and felt vibrating. I told her to stop tapping her foot and she told me she wasn't moving. I laughed to myself thinking if we were in CA I would have thought it was an earthquake. The thought quickly left my mind until I saw on the news that it was in fact an earthquake. So it could be felt here in the southern metro area.
Having lived in CA for a good while myself, earthquakes are one thing I definitely do not miss from out there. I will take tornadoes over earthquakes any day! :-)
For some interesting background on Colorado's earthquake history, click the link at the bottom of the article that says "Colorado earthquake history (USGS)".
Wow, 2nd tremor today and it was longer and much stronger then the first one earlier today.(11:50pm)
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!