A geologist has shared his analysis of the Magnitude 4.1 earthquake that rattled Northeastern Utah on September 10th. Geology professor Shawn Willsey did research following the quake because he immediately recognized it as having several odd qualities and called it a fascinating event. He shared his findings in a youtube video. “So the first weird aspect of this was the fault that produced it,” explained Willsey. “…That this was a reverse fault or a compressional earthquake where rocks get shoved up over the top of each other rather than being pulled apart so that’s kind of an odd thing there. The second thing that makes this earthquake interesting and odd is the depth. 42.5 miles[or 68 kilometers], that is exceptionally deep.” Willsey explained that at first he thought that must have been an error because that is deeper than the earth’s crust in that area but the depth has been reviewed and confirmed by seismologists. Usually earthquakes take place in the crust while this one was in the earth’s mantle. Willsey also emphasized that deep earthquakes aren’t usually felt at the surface but there are many reports that this one was felt. If you would like to report what you felt to the US Geological Survey, visit earthquake.usgs.gov. Link to the video with this news story posted on BasinNow.com.
