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More than 30 quakes shook central Idaho within 12 hours near the Sawtooth Fault, a ‘sleeping giant’ that experts warn could trigger a major earthquake.
An AI-generated conceptual image representing seismic activity near the Sawtooth Fault in central Idaho. This is a symbolic visualization and does not depict actual earthquake events or locations. (IMAGE: DALLE 3 AI ENGINE)
A flurry of more than 30 earthquakes rattled central Idaho between Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). Several quakes registered above magnitude 3.5, with the strongest reaching 3.9 near the small town of Stanley on Tuesday at 9:06am ET.
Overall, USGS recorded a staggering 33 earthquakes in the Stanley area starting from 2:13pm on Monday and continuing through the early hours of Tuesday. Stanley, a town with fewer than 150 residents, is located near the Sawtooth Fault. The Sawtooth Fault is a 40-mile-long fault line that was clearly identified only in 2010.
The Sawtooth Fault had drawn national attention after a magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck in 2020, one of Idaho’s largest recent quakes and was felt across multiple states. Experts call it a ‘sleeping giant’ because it remains dormant for long periods but has the potential to unleash a devastating earthquake if it awakens.
Idaho state geologist Claudio Berti while speaking to the Daily Mail said that the recent wave of seismic activity as ‘unusual’ and concerning, noting that the future behavior of the fault remains uncertain.
Between late Monday night and early Tuesday morning, a dozen moderate quakes hit the region, followed by another four starting early Tuesday morning, three of which exceeded magnitude 3.5.
Earthquakes ranging from magnitude 2.5 to 5.4 are often felt by residents and may cause minor damage. However, no damage has been reported from this recent swarm.
Seismic swarms like this can sometimes precede larger earthquakes, though there is no guarantee such an event will occur. Scientists estimate the Sawtooth Fault could produce earthquakes of magnitude 7.0 or higher, which would cause serious shaking and damage hundreds of miles away.
Berti explained that a series of quakes concentrated in a specific area helps map the fault’s location and structure and the cracks in Earth’s crust where rock movement causes earthquakes.
Most earthquakes result from tectonic plates which are massive slabs of rock that form the Earth’s surface and when they are slowly shifting and building stress along their edges. When stress overcomes friction, the plates slip, releasing energy that causes shaking.
The Sawtooth Fault is millions of years old and part of the tectonic activity that shaped the Basin and Range Province in the western US.
In the past three weeks, USGS has recorded 133 earthquakes near Stanley, with the strongest measuring magnitude 4.0 on Tuesday at 3:34am ET.
Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has covered sev…Read More
Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has over five years of experience during which he has covered sev… Read More
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Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)
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