A magnitude 5.7 earthquake occurred at 7:09 a.m. on March 18, 2020, with an epicenter located 3.1 miles north of Magna, Utah. The University of Utah Seismograph Stations reported the moderate earthquake was widely felt throughout the Wasatch Front area of north-central Utah.
The earthquake occurred in a seismically active part of the Salt Lake Valley. Since 1962, six earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or larger have occurred in this area, including a magnitude 5.2 event on Sept. 5, 1962, located 0.8 miles northeast of Magna.
The tremor was followed by numerous aftershocks. Within the first hour after the M 5.7 event, there were 20 aftershocks of magnitude 3.0 or larger and two aftershocks of magnitude 4.0 or larger. The largest aftershock recorded was a magnitude 4.6 event that occurred at 7:14 a.m.
This event was the largest earthquake in Utah since a magnitude 5.9 earthquake occurred in 1992 in southwestern Utah near St. George.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, while a magnitude 7.0 to 7.5 earthquake is possible, the chance is about one in 300. The U.S. Geological Survey also noted there is no currently accepted scientific method for predicting the precise time, location, and magnitude of future earthquakes.
