Idaho earthquake felt in Boise Thursday morning, epicenter recorded near Stanley — again
Some in the Treasure Valley were awaken Thursday morning by an earthquake.
The U.S. Geological Survey reports a magnitude-4.4 earthquake was recorded around 5:30 a.m. Thursday, with the epicenter reported roughly 20 miles outside of Stanley.
The Thursday shake was an aftershock of the magnitude-6.5 earthquake that shook multiple Western states on March 31, one of the strongest quakes ever recorded in Idaho. The epicenter for the March 31 earthquake was found to be in the mountains northwest of Stanley and 45 miles west of Challis.
Thursday’s aftershock is one of three earthquakes recorded in Idaho in the past 24 hours, with the other two reaching magnitudes of 3.4 and 2.5, according to the USGS.
With its magnitude, the Thursday shake is among the strongest aftershocks recorded since the March 31 earthquake. Thursday’s aftershock was the same magnitude as another that was felt in Boise on May 13. Another aftershock was felt by Boise residents just before midnight on April 20, and it was registered as magnitude-4.1 shake. Just days after the main earthquake, a magnitude-4.3 quake was registered and felt in Boise.
Since the March 31 earthquake, the USGS has recorded 598 aftershocks over a magnitude of 2.5.
The earthquake and subsequent aftershocks have triggered avalanches in the Sawtooths, damaged buildings in Custer County and caused landslides that blocked roads. It was recently revealed that the earthquakes caused a beach at Stanley Lake to collapse. The damage wasn’t recognized earlier because of the nearby snowpack and ice.
Aftershocks can follow large earthquakes for a year or more, Andrew Michael, a geophysicist with the USGS, told the Statesman last month.
According to the aftershock forecast from the USGS, aftershocks are likely to continue as time goes on, the only question is how powerful the shakes may be.
