I was raised in Utah, but until recently, I had never experienced an earthquake. But three weeks ago, the 5.7 magnitude earthquake in Magna, Utah got me really thinking about how often earthquakes happen in Utah. What I found was very surprising!
Utah has had 350 earthquakes in the past 30 days and 888 earthquakes in the past year, but we couldn’t feel most of them. But the graph below shows that since the 5.7 magnitude earthquake in Magna on March 18, the number of earthquakes has risen.
My friend
Jace Jordan and his wife Hannah live in Magna. I called them after the earthquake
and asked about what their experience was like on that day.
“I thought
it was going to be the big earthquake that everyone talks about,” Hannah said.
Jace
added, “It was the most effective alarm clock I’ve ever had. We shot right out
of bed; we were terrified. The days right after, we would get a big one that
would get us all anxious and think another huge earthquake was about to hit,
but now it’s gotten to the point where it’s just little shakes.”
I also called
my parents after the earthquake and asked how they were preparing for another big
earthquake if it happened. They have prepared 72-hour kits complete with extra
clothes, medicine, food and, of course, extra games if we are stuck outside for
72 hours.
So, if you
are craving some more peace of mind during this crazy time, I suggest you put
together a 72-hour emergency kit just in case another earthquake makes Utah
tremble again.