Largest Utah earthquake in 18 years rattles homes, causing only minor damage

RANDOLPH, Rich County — Shannon Butler was cooking at a restaurant in Randolph Thursday when the earth started shaking and knocked her into a nearby counter.

"It shook us pretty good," said Stacey Showalter, who also works at the Gator Drive-In and Game Room. "Some things came off the shelves, the cupboards popped open and pictures came off the wall."

A 4.9 magnitude earthquake was reported at 5:59 p.m. five miles northeast of Randolph, near the Utah-Wyoming border, Thursday — the largest earthquake in Utah in 18 years.

Only minor damage was reported from the quake that occurred in a relatively shallow depth of just over a quarter mile along the Crawford Fault, according to readings at the seismic network operated by the University of Utah.

U. seismologist Relu Burlacu said the earthquake is small, especially compared with recent quakes that have cost hundreds of lives, including a 6.9 magnitude quake in China on April 13.

The 4.9 quake is the largest to hit Utah since St. George experienced a 5.9 earthquake in 1992.

"The amplitude of the event in 1992 was 10 times bigger, and in energy that event was 30 times larger," Burlacu said.

The U.S. Geological Survey reports a 4.9 quake is generally strong but likely to cause only light damage. That's how Randolph residents described it. It shook buildings and caused pictures and other items to rattle and crash to the floor.

One Randolph resident said the shaking lasted about 40 seconds.

Laura Smith, who lives right across from the police station, said she was sitting on the floor when the quake struck, knocking her Coca Cola collection off the shelves.

"I got hit with a hard jolt, another jolt and a rolling. I realized it was an earthquake," Smith said. "And I thought I left California because of the earthquakes."

Randolph teenager Dixie Jones described the shaking ground as similar to standing on a trampoline. The quake shattered a large mirror in her bathroom but caused no other damage at her home.

Rich County sheriff's dispatchers said many people called in about the quake but no serious damage was reported.