Largest Quake Detected in Utah
M2.17 16 km NE of Milford, Utah
12 hours ago · Depth 3.1 km

Recent Utah Earthquakes (Past 24 Hours)

• M2.17
  16 km NE of Milford, Utah

  Aug 25, 2026 20:04 UTC · Depth 3.1 km
• M1.65
  16 km NE of Milford, Utah

  Aug 25, 2026 20:03 UTC · Depth 1.5 km

Source: USGS

Utah Earthquakes – Current Map, Wasatch Fault & Latest Quakes

Utah has one of the most important inland earthquake zones in the western United States. The state doesn’t shake as often as California or Alaska, but the earthquake risk is serious because the Wasatch Front places millions of people, homes, schools, hospitals, roads, and utilities close to active faults.

This page tracks the latest Utah earthquake activity using USGS-based earthquake data. The map, recent earthquake list, statistics, and significant quake information update when the page loads or refreshes.

Utah Earthquake Map

The map shows M1.5+ earthquakes in Utah and nearby relevant zones. Click a marker to see the earthquake magnitude, location, time, and depth. Use the time filters to view activity from the last hour, 24 hours, 7 days, or 30 days.

Utah earthquakes (map loads with JavaScript)

Why the Wasatch Front Is Utah’s Main Earthquake Concern

Utah’s earthquake story is different from Nevada or Idaho because the highest concern is not just where the faults are. It is where the people are. The Wasatch Front includes Salt Lake City, Ogden, Provo, Logan, Layton, Bountiful, Sandy, West Valley City, Orem, Lehi, and many fast-growing communities along the base of the Wasatch Range.

The Utah Geological Survey’s Wasatch Fault information explains why this fault zone matters, and that’s because the Wasatch Fault forms the boundary between the uplifted Wasatch Range and the down-dropped valleys to the west. That movement helped build the landscape people see today, but it also created Utah’s most important earthquake hazard.

That is why a Utah earthquake page needs to focus heavily on the Wasatch Front. A large earthquake here would not be a remote mountain event. It could affect homes, hospitals, schools, highways, water systems, power lines, older brick buildings, and emergency services across Utah’s busiest urban corridor.

Magna 2020: The Earthquake That Shook the Salt Lake Valley

The 2020 Magna earthquake is the modern Utah earthquake many people remember. The USGS event page for the Magna earthquake lists it as a M5.7 event near Salt Lake City on March 18, 2020. It was not Utah’s largest historical earthquake, but it was important because it happened near the state’s largest population center.

The shaking damaged some buildings, knocked items from shelves, interrupted services, and reminded people across the Wasatch Front that Utah’s earthquake risk is not just theoretical. It also produced aftershocks, which kept the event in public attention after the mainshock passed.

For this page, Magna matters because it connects several key Utah entities: Salt Lake Valley, the Wasatch Front, the Oquirrh Mountains, older masonry buildings, soft valley sediments, aftershocks, and the difference between a moderate earthquake and a truly major Wasatch Front event.

The Wasatch Fault and Utah’s Mountain-Valley Landscape

The Wasatch Fault is a normal fault system. That means one side of the fault moves down relative to the other. Over long periods of time, this kind of movement helped lift the Wasatch Range and drop the valleys beside it.

This is part of the wider Basin and Range story across the inland western United States, a tectonic setting that also shapes much of Nevada. Utah sits where the crust has been stretched and broken, creating mountain ranges, valleys, faults, and earthquake zones. The Wasatch Fault is the most famous Utah example, but it is not the only fault that matters.

The Wasatch Fault is often discussed in segments, including the Brigham City, Weber, Salt Lake City, Provo, and Nephi segments. That matters because one segment can rupture without the whole fault moving at once. For readers, the practical point is that different parts of the Wasatch Front may face different earthquake scenarios.

Where Utah Earthquakes Happen

Utah earthquake activity is not evenly spread across the state. The Wasatch Front is the highest-profile risk area, but earthquakes also happen in central Utah, southwestern Utah, southeastern Utah, and near the Idaho-Wyoming border.

• Salt Lake City and the central Wasatch Front: This is Utah’s most important earthquake risk area because of population, infrastructure, older buildings, and proximity to the Wasatch Fault. Earthquakes near Salt Lake City, Magna, West Valley City, Sandy, Murray, Bountiful, and Draper may be widely felt across the valley.
  
• Ogden, Brigham City, and northern Utah: Northern Utah includes important Wasatch Fault segments and communities near the Great Salt Lake, Cache Valley, and the Utah-Idaho border. Earthquakes here may also overlap with the Idaho earthquakes page.
  
• Provo, Orem, Lehi, and Utah Valley: Utah Valley sits along the Wasatch Front and has rapid population growth. A strong earthquake here could affect homes, schools, roads, water systems, and older structures across the Provo-Orem-Lehi corridor.
  
• Central Utah and Sevier Valley: Central Utah has had important historical earthquakes near Richfield, Elsinore, Marysvale, and Salina Canyon. These areas show that Utah earthquake risk is not limited to Salt Lake City.
  
• Southwestern Utah and St. George: Southwestern Utah includes faults near St. George, the Hurricane fault, and the broader transition toward Nevada and Arizona. Earthquakes here may be less frequent than along the Wasatch Front, but they still matter for growing communities and canyon terrain.
  
• Eastern Utah and mining regions: Eastern Utah is generally quieter than the Wasatch Front, but seismic activity can still occur. Some seismic signals in mining areas may be related to mining activity rather than natural tectonic earthquakes, so location and context matter.
  
• Yellowstone, Wyoming, and Idaho edge: Northern Utah can feel or record earthquakes from the wider Intermountain region, including events near Idaho, Wyoming, and Yellowstone. Compare border-area events with the Yellowstone earthquakes and Wyoming earthquakes pages.

Salt Lake Valley: Soft Ground, Older Buildings, and Lifelines

Salt Lake Valley has a special earthquake problem because much of the valley floor sits on old lake sediments from Lake Bonneville. Soft sediments can amplify shaking in some areas, and water-saturated ground can be vulnerable to liquefaction during strong shaking.

That can be a problem because the valley also contains major roads, rail lines, water systems, power infrastructure, hospitals, schools, downtown buildings, and older homes. A Wasatch Front earthquake would not only be a geology event. It would also be an infrastructure event.

Older unreinforced masonry buildings are especially important in Utah earthquake planning. These structures can be vulnerable because brick, stone, or block walls may not be tied together well enough to withstand strong shaking. This is one reason Salt Lake City and other Wasatch Front communities have focused attention on seismic upgrades and public preparedness.

Southern Utah Earthquakes: St. George, Hurricane Fault, and Red Rock Country

Southern Utah has a different earthquake setting from the Wasatch Front. The population is smaller than the Salt Lake-Provo-Ogden corridor, but growth around St. George, Washington, Hurricane, Cedar City, and nearby communities means earthquake risk deserves more attention than it used to.

The Hurricane fault is one of the key fault systems in southwestern Utah. Earthquakes in this part of the state may affect canyon roads, cliffs, older buildings, utilities, and fast-growing residential areas. The 1992 St. George earthquake is a useful reminder that southern Utah can produce damaging shaking, even if most Utah earthquake discussion focuses farther north.

For visitors, the hazards can also look different. Rockfalls, steep slopes, canyon roads, trails, and unstable ground may matter more in southern Utah than in a dense urban neighbourhood along the Wasatch Front.

Notable Utah Earthquakes

Utah has had several moderate to large earthquakes, and each one highlights a different part of the state’s earthquake story.

• 1901 Richfield earthquake: One of Utah’s largest historical earthquakes, often linked with central Utah seismicity near the Sevier Valley region.
• 1921 Sevier Valley earthquake sequence: A central Utah sequence near Elsinore that showed the importance of earthquake activity away from the Wasatch Front.
• 1934 Hansel Valley earthquake: A large northern Utah earthquake near the Great Salt Lake region, important for understanding earthquake risk west and north of the Wasatch Front.
• 1962 Cache Valley earthquake: A northern Utah event that connects Utah earthquake activity with the Cache Valley and Idaho border region.
• 1992 St. George earthquake: A southern Utah earthquake that damaged structures and reminded people that the St. George area is not earthquake-free.
• 2020 Magna earthquake: The USGS Magna event page records the M5.7 earthquake near Salt Lake City, making it the key modern Wasatch Front earthquake for public awareness.

Utah Earthquake Hazards

Utah’s earthquake hazards depend on where shaking happens. Along the Wasatch Front, the biggest concerns are people, buildings, soft valley sediments, utilities, and transportation routes. In southern and central Utah, rockfalls, canyon roads, rural access, and older structures may be more important.

• Ground shaking: Strong shaking can damage homes, schools, hospitals, roads, bridges, utilities, and older buildings.
• Surface rupture: A large earthquake on a Utah fault could break the ground surface, especially along major fault zones such as the Wasatch Fault.
• Liquefaction and soft sediments: Parts of the Salt Lake Valley and other valley floors may be more vulnerable where loose, water-saturated sediment is present.
• Unreinforced masonry: Older brick, stone, or block buildings can be more vulnerable during strong shaking.
• Rockfalls and landslides: Steep slopes, canyon roads, mountain passes, and red-rock terrain can become hazardous during or after earthquakes.
• Lifeline disruption: Water, power, gas, roads, rail, hospitals, and communication systems may be affected after a stronger earthquake.
• Aftershocks: Larger Utah earthquakes can be followed by aftershocks, which may continue for days, weeks, or longer.

Utah Earthquake Safety

Earthquake safety in Utah depends on where you are. A Salt Lake City office, a Provo school, a St. George canyon road, and a rural central Utah highway all have different risks, but the basic advice is the same: protect yourself during shaking and be careful around damaged buildings, roads, slopes, and utilities afterward.

• During shaking, Drop, Cover, and Hold On.
• If you are indoors, stay indoors until the shaking stops. Do not run outside while glass, bricks, signs, or power lines may be falling.
• If you are outside, move away from buildings, cliffs, rockfall areas, bridges, power lines, and anything that could fall.
• If you are driving, pull over when safe and avoid bridges, overpasses, steep slopes, or damaged roads if possible.
• After shaking stops, check for injuries, gas smells, damaged utilities, unstable buildings, cracked roads, broken glass, and aftershocks.
• In canyon, mountain, or rural areas, keep extra water, food, fuel, blankets, and emergency supplies in your vehicle because detours can be long.

For more detailed information, see our Earthquake Safety guide for what to do during shaking and our Earthquake Preparedness guide for emergency supplies and planning ahead.

Who Monitors Utah Earthquakes?

Utah earthquakes are monitored by state, regional, and national seismic groups. These networks locate earthquakes, estimate magnitudes, collect felt reports, and help scientists understand faults across the state.

• University of Utah Seismograph Stations: Monitors earthquakes in Utah and the wider Intermountain region.
• Utah Geological Survey fault resources: Provide Utah fault and geologic hazard information, including mapped Quaternary faults.
• Great ShakeOut: Provides public earthquake safety guidance.

🗺️ Related Earthquake Maps

Nearby states and regions: Idaho | Wyoming | Nevada | Yellowstone

Western U.S. maps: California | Oregon | Idaho | Montana

Broader view: United States Earthquakes | North America Earthquakes | Latest Available Worldwide Earthquakes