One of the strongest earthquakes since major March temblor shook Idaho Sunday morning
The U.S. Geological Survey recorded a magnitude-4.2 earthquake near Stanley on Sunday morning, one of the strongest earthquakes in Idaho since a magnitude-6.5 earthquake in the same area shook the state on March 31.
According to the USGS website, the magnitude-4.2 earthquake occurred around 6:11 a.m. Sunday. The quake followed more than two dozen smaller temblors over the last week, including a magnitude-4.1 earthquake last Tuesday that was felt by some in Boise.
Since the March 31 earthquake, the second-strongest on record in Idaho, hundreds of others have emanated from the same area a few miles northwest of Stanley. Most of them have been smaller than magnitude-4, making Sunday’s quake one of the strongest of the aftershocks. The U.S. Geological Survey’s website says aftershocks can continue after a major earthquake for months or even years, depending on the intensity of the main earthquake.
Magnitude-4.4 earthquakes occurred on May 21 and May 13, while the largest aftershock, a magnitude-4.8, came the day after the initial earthquake.
The quakes have caused damage in the Sawtooths, including “liquefying” a popular beach at Stanley Lake, sending landslides across Idaho 21 and triggering avalanches across the Sawtooth mountain range.
No other earthquakes had been reported as of Sunday afternoon.
