Magna, Utah Earthquake: Buildings damaged, dozens of aftershocks recorded

Magna_Utah_earthquake_epicenter_map
Magna, Utah earthquake epicenter map (USGS)
March 18, 2020: A 5.7 magnitude earthquake has been recorded in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States today, with an epicenter located 6 km north-northeast of Magna, Utah.

According to the United States Geological Survey, the earthquake today in Magna, Utah occurred at 11.9 km depth.

Over than 50 aftershocks have been recorded within two hours of the main earthquake.

The earthquake caused power outages near Salt Lake City International Airport. The control tower was immediately evacuated and passengers in terminals were moved onto buses.

Utah Emergency Management said that no serious damage is expected from the Magna earthquake. The minor damage has been occurred to historic Rio Grande Depot and St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral. Also dozens of mobiles homes have been damaged in West Valley City.

The earthquake took place during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic in the United States.The earthquake also disrupted some of the government work responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the USGS, the March 18, 2020 M5.7 earthquake north of Magna, Utah (just west of Salt Lake City) occurred as the result of normal faulting in the shallow crust of the North America plate. This earthquake is located in the Intermountain seismic belt, a prominent north-south-trending zone of recorded seismicity in the Intermountain West, including the Wasatch Front urban corridor. 

The tremor was reportedly felt as far away as Wyoming and southern Idaho.

The current earthquake is the state's strongest earthquake since the 1992 St. George earthquake, and the strongest to occur near Salt Lake City since 1962.

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