ST. GEORGE — A small earthquake occurred Tuesday afternoon in the northeastern corner of Garfield County near Circleville.
A 3.6 magnitude earthquake was recorded by the U.S. Geological Survey around 3:15 p.m., near an area called Granite Valley.
The general location of the quake puts it nearly 10 miles southwest of Circleville and 42 miles northeast of Cedar City, according to the USGS shake map. According to the USGS “Did You Feel It” report accompanying the recorded quake, one person reported feeling the shaking.
Shaking from a 3.6-scale quake is characterized by the USGS as being weak-to-light and typically resulting in little to no damage.
Circleville Fire Chief Wade Westwood, who oversees emergency services for the town, told St. George News he hadn’t received any calls about the earthquake 10 miles outside of Circleville or heard anyone saying they felt it.
“We would like a little excitement here – but not that kind,” Westwood laughed.
Approximately 700 earthquakes and their aftershocks occur throughout Utah annually, with only some 2% ever being felt, according to the University of Utah. The university also states that earthquakes can occur anywhere in the state of Utah and “an average of about 13 earthquakes of magnitude 3.0 or larger occur in the region every year.”
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, all rights reserved.