Many Utahns were rattled awake this morning by the largest earthquake the state has had since 1992. According to the Utah Division of Emergency Management, the earthquake hit just after 7am and measured at magnitude 5.7 with the center in the Magna area. Citizens reported feeling the earthquake from Logan down the Wasatch Front with the strongest shaking felt in Salt Lake County. Rocky Mountain Power reported that initially over 70,000 people were without power but that number came down to under 6,000 in the early afternoon. Many structures, including the Salt Lake airport, sustained damage and there was a report from Kennecott facility in Magna that there was a large chemical spill but it posed no risk to the public. Rumors immediately began circulating online that a larger earthquake would hit on Wednesday and the Utah Division of Emergency Management reported that the rumor was not true. Aftershocks were felt throughout the day but the Division of Emergency Management emphasized that officials believed the initial 5.7 magnitude quake was the main earthquake and a larger one was extremely unlikely. Rumors also started up that there would be a gas and diesel shortage due to a shut-down of the refineries in Salt Lake which caused a rush on fuel purchases locally. Uintah County Economic Development squashed that rumor stating that the refineries were only closed temporarily because of the earthquake but were fully operational by Wednesday afternoon. Anyone interested in gathering information on preparedness in the event of any future earthquakes can find helpful information at bereadyutah.gov.
