BLUFFDALE, Utah, Feb. 15, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) — Residents in the south end of the Salt Lake Valley had a rude awakening early Friday morning, after two small earthquakes centered near Bluffdale, rattled windows and nerves, while spawning numerous calls to 911.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the first temblor struck at 5:02 a.m. with a magnitude of 3.3 and was centered at a depth of 8.7 kilometers below the earth’s surface.
A second, stronger aftershock hit 7 minutes later at 5:09 a.m., measuring 3.8 in intensity. It took place at a depth of about 4.3 kilometers.
Both seismic events were centered about a mile outside Bluffdale.
Police dispatchers throughout the south end of the Salt Lake Valley and into Utah County fielded numerous phone calls, although there have been no reports of damage.
Residents of a West Jordan apartment complex felt their building shake and said the quake and aftershock, which lasted for roughly 5 to 10 seconds, sounded like a passing freight train.
Other residents also felt the ground move with reports pouring in from Draper, Sandy, Herriman, Riverton, Lehi and as far south as Pleasant Grove and American Fork. Residents in Eagle Mountain also reported the temblors, as did people as far north as West Valley City.
One man reported his dogs began whining moments before the first quake hit.
*Update: The University of Utah Seismograph Station has revised quake information, downgrading the magnitude of the aftershock at 3.73 versus 3.8.
Gephardt Daily will update the story as more information becomes available.
