A 4.6-magnitude earthquake hit an area north of Dove Creek on Monday morning and was felt by residents more than 82 miles away on Lightner Creek Road.
“It was like somebody had a hold of your chair and was gently shaking it back and forth,” said Michael Morris, who lives about 1.8 miles from U.S. Highway 160, a few miles west of downtown Durango.
The tremor lasted about 15 seconds at about 10:30 a.m., he said.
Residents in Monticello, Grand Junction, Moab and Cortez also reported feeling the earthquake, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
USGS Geophysicist Paul Caruso said the agency has not received any reports of damage as a result of the earthquake.
“It’s a very remote area,” he said.
The quake occurred at 10:22 a.m. Its epicenter was about 4 miles southwest of Bedrock along the Lower Dolores River and was a half-mile deep. The USGS reported it received 659 reports from people who felt the quake.
The area has a history of earthquakes, but he could not speculate on the cause of Monday’s earthquake, he said.
Other residents who experienced the earthquake can report it to the USGS online. Citizen reports help the USGS gauge the strength of earthquakes and develop seismic maps, Caruso said.
Looks like an earthquake was reported south of Bedrock...prelim here.https://t.co/Fa7pqskhgc
— NWS Grand Junction (@NWSGJT) March 4, 2019
mshinn@durangoherald.com
The Journal contributed to this report.