Magnitude 3.0 earthquake felt near Zion National Park on 27th anniversary of landslide-causing quake

ST. GEORGE — A 3.0 magnitude earthquake was felt near Zion National Park Sunday night, 27 years after a large quake caused a massive landslide in Springdale. 

A map showing the location of an earthquake in Zion National Park, Utah, Sept. 1, 2019 | Image courtesy of the U.S. Geological Survey, St. George News

The earthquake hit within the park boundaries about five miles east of Springdale at around 10 p.m. Sunday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. 

The earthquake was reportedly felt in Springdale and Zion and as far as Hurricane and Colorado City, but it wasn’t strong enough to cause any damage. 

“I haven’t had any report of any damages, it just shook around three or four seconds,” Springdale Mayor Stan Smith said. “It wasn’t strong enough to knock anything off or do any damage.” 

The earthquake was reported just one day before the 27th anniversary of a 5.8 magnitude earthquake that affected Springdale Sept. 2, 1992.

The 1992 earthquake hit about five miles southeast of St. George around 3:26 a.m. that day, triggering a large landslide in Springdale just outside of the south entrance of Zion National Park, according to a Facebook post from the park. 

The landslide destroyed three homes and blocked the highway into town. The spot where the landslide occurred is still visible today. 

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!