According to the US Geologic Survey, a magnitude 4.6 earthquake struck Bedrock, Colorado, just east of the Utah-Colorado border Monday morning.
Reported at around 10:22 a.m., it was centered less than four miles south of the small town, about 35 miles north of Dove Creek and 40 miles southeast of Moab, Utah, according to the USGS.
It was initially reported to be a magnitude 5.3 quake but was downgraded it to 4.6.
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There are no reports of injuries or damage as of early Monday afternoon, though some reported their homes shaking. A resident who lives less than three miles from the epicenter reported an “intense” shaking of her home.
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The USGS cautions residents to “be ready for more earthquakes.”
It predicts: “More earthquakes than usual (called aftershocks) will continue to occur near the mainshock.”
“When there are more earthquakes, the chance of a large earthquake is greater which means that the chance of damage is greater. The USGS advises everyone to be aware of the possibility of aftershocks, especially when in or around vulnerable structures such as unreinforced masonry buildings,” the USGS posted on its website.
‘Drop, Cover, and Hold On’
The USGS cautions that the “earthquake could be part of a sequence. An earthquake sequence may have larger and potentially damaging earthquakes in the future, so remember to: Drop, Cover, and Hold on.”
It’s described as a “very shallow” quake. The AP reported in 2016 that “Shallow quakes generally tend to be more damaging than deeper quakes. Seismic waves from deep quakes have to travel farther to the surface, losing energy along the way.”
A USGS seismologist told the outlet that “shaking is more intense from quakes that hit close to the surface like setting off ‘a bomb directly under a city.'”
Authorities said the alert level at Yellowstone National Park has not been elevated as a result of the quake.
The Quake Comes Right After a Massive Avalanche Near Vail, Colorado, around 300 Miles Northeast of Bedrock
The 4.6 magnitude quake near Bedrock comes a day after a massive avalanche in Copper Mountain, Colorado.
Bedrock, Colorado, Was Made Famous in ‘Thelma & Louise’
The general store in the tiny town built in 1882 was featured in the 1991 movie. Its post office and the store are built on solid rock.
Residents in Moab, Utah said they felt the earthquake.
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“A 5.3-magnitude earthquake was reported at 10:22 a.m. by the U.S. Geological Survey near Bedrock in Paradox Valley, Colorado. Reports are coming into the Moab Sun News that tremors were felt by people across Moab and as far south as Spanish Valley. Paradox Valley is located approximately 60 miles southeast from Moab.”
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And the list grew as more people began to report feeling the quake in cities and towns in both Colorado and Utah.
Colorado History of Earthquakes
The largest ever recorded quake was in 1882; a magnitude 6.6 event. In recent history, according to the Colorado Geological Survey, includes a 5.3 in 2011 in Trinidad, Colorado, but before that. it had been more than 40 years since the state had an earthquake. In fact, during the 1960s, the majority of the recorded quakes to strike the state occurred in that decade, but none over a 5.5.