Magnitude 4.9 Earthquake Shakes Idaho, but No Injuries Reported

An earthquake of 4.9 magnitude has struck north of Boise, Idaho

By Associated Press
Feb. 26, 2024

BOISE, Idaho. (AP) — An earthquake of 4.9 magnitude struck north of Boise, Idaho, on Monday, reportedly causing no major damage or injuries, authorities said.

The quake happened at 10:25 a.m. and was centered about 6.2 miles (10 kilometers) north of Smiths Ferry, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Two smaller earthquakes followed in the same vicinity with magnitudes of 2.7 and 2.8. The larger earthquake Monday is the largest in Idaho since a magnitude 6.5 quake occurred in March 2020, the Idaho Statesman reported.

The Valley County Sheriff's Office said on Facebook afterward that they had not received any reports of injury or damage. More than 1,600 people in all directions around the quake in Idaho and into eastern Oregon reported feeling it, the USGS website shows. Most reported it feeling in the range from weak to moderate, the USGS website shows.

USGS data shows no other quakes in the area in recent weeks, though a magnitude 1.9 temblor was recorded closer to McCall last week, Idaho Geological Survey director Claudio Berti told the newspaper.

Berti said that aftershocks following a larger earthquake are typical, and Idaho residents shouldn’t be alarmed.

 GUIDE TO HUMAN-MADE EARTHQUAKES IN IDAHO

About this guide

This resource is meant to be an introductory guide about the basics of hydraulic fracturing and more specifically the effects of wastewater disposal on induced seismicity.

So is there any fracking going on in Idaho?

New conventional oil and gas development is occuring in southwest Idaho. Alta Mesa  has been targeting small reservoirs of natural gas that are trapped underground. Because they are extracting the natural gas from a reservoir, this is considered a conventional resource and not hydraulic fracturing. According to the Idaho Geological Survey, there is a lot of produced water coming out of the wells that will need to be disposed of.

To date, there is no fracking in Idaho, but there is an unconventional resource that has potential for development by natural gas companies like Alta Mesa in southeast Idaho.

Because there is a chance that hydraulic fracturing technology could be introduced to idaho in the future, it is critical that residents of Idaho become informed about the risks and benefits of unconventional natural gas and oil development especially those involving wastewater disposal and induced earthquakes.

While the information included on this page is a good start to understanding hydraulic fracturing technology and induced seismicity, there are many other resources available on this topic. 

Here is a list of additional resources that should be consulted as well as the sources that were used to create the information on this page. Note that these resources are influenced by a variety of perspectives. Some of them are about hydraulic fracturing, while others focus on the impacts of fracking on the economy, environment, or energy sector. 

Resources:

The Science Beneath the Surface, Don Duggan-Haas, Robert M. Ross, Warren D. Allmon

How Man-made Earthquakes Could Cripple the U.S. Economy

The Fracking Song

U.S Energy Information Administration

Graveyard of Old Volcanoes

FracFocus Chemical Disclosure Registry

Pros and Cons of Fracking: 5 Key Issues

Sources used in creating this site:

The Science Beneath the Surface, Don Duggan-Haas, Robert M. Ross, Warren D. Allmon

J.L Rubenstein and A.E. Mahani, “Myths and Facts on Wastewater Injection, Hydraulic Fracturing, Enhanced Oil Recovery, and Induced Seismicity” 

Vengosh A. et al. “A Critical Review of the Risks to Water Resources from Unconventional Shale Gas Development and Hydraulic Fracturing in the United States”