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SPRINGDALE, Washington County — A 3.6-magnitude earthquake centered near Zion National Park on Tuesday afternoon is the largest recorded in the area since at least 1962, according to the University of Utah Seismograph Stations.
The earthquake was reported shortly after 3:30 p.m. with an epicenter located about 5 miles east of Zion National Park and 22 miles east of Hurricane. U. Seismograph Stations officials said residents of Hurricane and the surrounding area felt the quake.
The U.S. Geological Survey reported that the earthquake had a depth nearly 12 miles deep.
Park officials tweeted that visitors by the park's south entrance "heard a loud sound and felt tremors" as a result of the earthquake. It's unclear if it did any damage, or resulted in any rockfalls at the park.
Did you feel it?
— Zion National Park (@ZionNPS) December 21, 2021
Visitors near the Zion's south entrance heard a loud sound and felt tremors this afternoon around 3:30 p.m.@USGS_Quakes and @UUSSquake share information about a M 3.6 earthquake.https://t.co/UZUmxjkNbt
In a statement, U. Seismograph Stations said there have been eight earthquakes of 3.0 or greater within 16 miles of the epicenter since 1962. The previous largest was a 3.4-magnitude earthquake center near Colorado City, Arizona, on March 11, 1989.
There was a 5.9-magnitude earthquake that struck southern Utah in 1992 but its epicenter was located farther west and closer to St. George. That remains the largest earthquake to strike the state in recent history.
As for Tuesday's earthquake, U. seismologists encourage anyone who felt it to fill out a survey form on the U.S. Geological Survey website.
