An earthquake hit Idaho’s Craters of the Moon National Monument. This is the aftermath

An earthquake in March is threatening caves at the Craters of the Moon National Monument, officials say.

Two National Forest Service cave experts found two structural concerns in the national preserve after a magnitude-6.5 earthquake rumbled across Idaho on March 31.

Wade Vagias, superintendent of the Craters of the Moon, said one fracture has the potential to collapse.

Eric Bilderback, a National Park Service geomorphologist, said the agency must balance intervention with letting nature run its course. He said his office will plan additional evaluations throughout the fall to determine how to proceed, Boise State Public Radio reported.

“The last thing we want is anybody to get hurt,” Bilderback said. “But we are talking about natural processes here. And it’s not necessarily our job to change those natural processes.”

The monument typically hosts public tours, but halted them in March as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

This story was originally published September 8, 2020 at 5:10 PM.