USGS says 9 tremors followed Montana quake

The overnight 5.8-magnitude natural disaster shook parts of Montana early Thursday.

A 5.8-magnitude quake rocked western Montana just after midnight Thursday, sending tremors to areas more than 30 miles away from its epicenter.

No injuries have been reported, but the Independent Record says Lincoln residents lost electricity and a gas leak was reported in Helena.

“Wow. Earthquake in Montana”, a rattled Mayer tweeted soon after the event.

Despite the distance, residents across B.C. have reported feeling an natural disaster last night that originated over the border. “At first I thought it was the wind, but it wasn’t the wind”.

The natural disaster occurred shortly after 12:30 a.m. By 8:30 a.m.in Montana, over 13,000 people had filled out a felt report on the USGS website, highlighting how widely felt this quake was.

Many people are curious if the quake was connected to geologic activity in Yellowstone National Park.

In Chewelah, which is 318 miles away, swaying and other ground movement was felt by residents after 11:30 p.m. The quake was centered 6 miles southeast of Lincoln and could be felt up to 500 miles away in Eastern Washington.

Frost said that a 5.8 magnitude quake is a substantial one. By comparison, the state’s largest quake which struck the West Yellowstone region 58 years ago was 7.2 magnitude.

Residents across a large area reported feeling the natural disaster, including much of central and western Montana, northwest Wyoming, Idaho, and northeast Washington. “Like if you’re sitting in traffic, you’re more likely to feel the quake”, said Frost. Montana is the fourth-most seismically active state.