03-06-2025
BREAKING NEWS Rocky mountain state rattled by a dozen earthquakes is just six hours sparking fears 'The Big One' is coming
Idaho has been rocked by flurry of earthquakes, with more than a dozen breaking out within the last 12 hours.
The US Geological Survey (USGS) has revealed that several of these quakes were stronger than 3.5 in magnitude. The latest one (magnitude 3.9) struck just outside the small town of Stanley in Central Idaho at 9:06am ET Tuesday morning.
Overall, there have been a staggering 33 earthquakes recorded by USGS in the same area of Idaho since 2:13pm Monday afternoon.
Stanley, which has a population of less than 150 people, played a key role in the gold rush during the late 1860s and 1870s.
Stanley also sits near the Sawtooth Fault, a 40-mile-long fault line running through central Idaho. While geologically ancient, the Sawtooth Fault was only clearly identified in 2010.
It drew national attention after a magnitude 6.5 earthquake struck in 2020, one of the largest in Idaho's recent history, which was felt across several states.
Experts have called the Sawtooth Fault a 'sleeping giant' as it is dormant for long periods but capable of triggering a devastating earthquake when it awakens.
This week's constant wave of seismic activity in the same area is 'unusual' and concerning to Idaho state geologist Claudio Berti, who said it's unclear what's going to happen next.
Between 10:23pm ET Monday night and 5am Tuesday morning, a dozen moderate-sized earthquakes struck the area around Stanley.
Then, USGS reported that another four quakes rattled the region starting at 7:57am ET. Three of these quakes exceeded 3.5 in magnitude.
Earthquakes between 2.5 and 5.4 are typically felt by people and may cause minor damage. No damage has been reported from this swarm.
Seismic swarms can sometimes act as precursors to larger earthquakes along a certain fault line, but there's no guarantee such an event will take place.
However, scientists estimate the fault could produce magnitude 7.0 or greater earthquakes, strong enough to cause serious shaking and damage hundreds of miles away.
'When we get one single [earthquake] event somewhere in the middle of nowhere, it is hard to make any sense of it,' Berti told the Idaho Statesman.
He explained that when there's a constant series of quakes focused in a specific area, their alignment tends to reveal the location and shape of the fault — the crack in the Earth's crust where rocks move and cause earthquakes.
