Midnight quake shakes people across Flathead
From the Soroptimist Thrift Haus to the stands at the playoff football game, an earthquake was the talk of the town Saturday in Whitefish.
The 3.9-magnitude earthquake (originally measured at 4.5) hit just before midnight Friday, waking people, cracking walls and rattling china across a broad area of the Flathead Valley. There were no reports of injuries or serious damage.
The midnight temblor was centered 3 miles northwest of Columbia Falls and was 8.4 miles deep, according to revised information Saturday afternoon from the U.S. Geological Survey. Earlier on Saturday, the agency had listed the epicenter closer to Whitefish.
“We felt the earthquake quite strongly here,” said Johanna Waldheim, who lives on U.S. 2 near the Blue Moon. “It felt like our home was lifted up and put down.”
Similar quake impressions came from Whitefish.
“Pictures on the walls are moved, two fell off the wall, plates rattled, drawers opened slightly, a carton of eggs fell out of the fridge, and a couple things fell over,” Phillip Bruinsma of Whitefish wrote on the Inter Lake’s Facebook page. “It didn’t last long, 15 to 20 seconds of shaking. The sound was intense, like thunder!”
According to Gretchen Pierce of Whitefish, “It was a china rattler but it had a huge roar. Who knows what Mother Earth is up to next?”
Inter Lake Features Editor Lynnette Hintze, who lives east of Whitefish, was awakened by the quake. “It really rattled windows in our bedroom,” Hintze said. “It shook me out of a dead sleep.”
Joe and Jill Courtney said the earthquake cracked plaster under the windows and above the doors in their Colorado Avenue home in Whitefish.
Chris Hassler, who also lives over the viaduct in Whitefish, said the shaking “moved a futon bed a few inches.”
In Kalispell, the Daily Inter Lake's walls shook and chairs were rolling slightly.
Seismographs available online showed that the temblor was also felt in Missoula and as far away as Yellowstone.
Readers reported feeling the quake in Kila, Marion, West Valley, West Glacier, Coram and Bigfork and many points in between.
Flathead County officials say many residents noticed the shaking.
“We had quite a few calls with people stating that they felt it,” said Tim Tepas, a supervisor with the county emergency communications center.
He says no one reported any injuries or damages.
This is the second noteworthy earthquake in the past few days: A 4.0 magnitude earthquake hit the Marion area west of Kalispell on Tuesday afternoon.
Dozens of people posted comments on the Inter Lake’s Facebook page detailing what they felt when the earth shook.
A sampling of their comments:
Shelly Neier: “I live in Columbia Falls and it really shook my house. I think it felt more like a 4.0+ magnitude. I am no expert but man that was quite the shake! I really had to brace myself on my counter I almost lost my balance. I am glad that there was no damages.”
Bonnie Tobiason: “Felt it here by the airport. Freaked the cats out. They’re still hiding.”
Sherry Buchanan Petersen: “Felt it here in Coram.”
Kathy Peer Stav: “Out here in Kila, Montana ... loud rumble and shook the house pretty good.”
Abreon Giesy: “Very powerful in Kalispell, entire house shook, dog freaked out and scared me.”
Donna Moody-Gager: “Kalispell ... we have cracks in our walls ... thought our place was hit by a car.”
Sarah Barker: “Felt it in Evergreen ... woke me out of a deep sleep.”
Betty Anne Shores: “1.4 miles from me. Noise like rolling thunder, house sort of vibrating. No damage. Woke me up. The right size, enough to notice and no damage.”
Helen Eveland Engel: “We felt it here in Marion. Pretty strong jolt and shaking! Being from California, we definitely knew it was an earthquake.”
Mimi Beadles: “I’m three miles east of Whitefish — first a loud boom and then the whole house shook.”
Deena Stacy: “It was very strong east of Kalispell. I heard a boom, then I felt the shockwaves headed in my direction. The house shook like crazy.”
Eve Shuey: “Woke me up near Ferndale, Mt.”
Christine Roberts: “Thought house was going to split in half in Marion.”
Casey Heupel: “Definitely felt it at West Glacier.”
Matt and Brandy Williams: “Lakeside was rocking & rolling!!”
Korri Barkkari: “Felt very big here in CFalls, watched the kitchen move.”
Sarah Johnson: “Felt it over here in West Valley!”
Michael Hull: “Felt it good down by the fairgrounds in Kalispell.”
Theresa Baker: “Awoke with our bed shaking and house shaking in Coram MT.”
Madison J. Sparkly-Sprinkle: “I had felt it here in the southern area of Kalispell. It was really weird. It wasn’t shaking, it was more like the ground was a wave. Kinda creepy.”
Ronnie Feightner: “I had a lot of loud rattling, shaking and one picture came off the wall.”
Luke Locke: “Our dog is barking up a storm. I hope another ain’t coming soon.”
Delta Summer: “I felt it in Marion last night. Shook like up and down motion some noise. The one a couple days ago ... really shook the house, and sounded like a train. We were only like 15 miles from the epicenter on that one.”
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