Revealing the Epic Earthquake that Struck Near the Town of Nephi 500 Years Ago

There have been earthquakes in Alaska and Russia recently and there are reports of seismic activity around Yellowstone. The Utah Geological Survey has studied when and how often earthquakes happen in the state and pinpointed the last big one.

The Wasatch Fault Zone is Utah’s Most Active 

The fault that helped create the Wasatch mountains runs from Brigham City in the north and all the way through the major cities to Nephi on the south end. There are five segments and the part near Nephi was the site of the last major earthquake 500 years ago. 

A study was done in 2005 where they dug a trench to get an understanding of the fault and earthquakes that have happened. They determined the earthquake that occurred 500 years previously would have registered 7.0 on the Richter scale. 

How to Determine the Frequency of Earthquakes in an Area 

They then looked at the next major slippage on the fault and determined it was between 1500 and 6900 years earlier. Based on this information and studying all the ancient movements, they say that a major quake happens on this fault every 6000 years. 

This gives a reasonable idea of the chances of a major earthquake happening in the future. Of course, nothing is for certain. The fact that major temblors have happened in the area means there is always a possibility of another any time.

Read More: Here’s the Fault in Southern Utah Where Earthquakes Occur

The science of predicting earthquakes still has a long way to go. Having said that, the research and understanding continues to get better all the time.