This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
When the Big One hits Utah, will you be ready?
Since antiquity, large-scale earthquakes of 7.5 or greater have ruptured the Wasatch Fault about every 300 years. The earth between the Wasatch and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges stretches like a rubber band, and eventually breaks along a fault line that runs through Utah. Seismologists predict such a quake would cause hundreds of deaths and billions of dollars in damage.
Through its annual earthquake drill, the Great Utah Shake Out is designed to minimize the Big One's harm as much as possible. This year's drill will take place 10:15 a.m. Thursday.
"You drop to the ground so that the earthquake doesn't drop you to the ground," said Joe Dougherty, spokesman for the Utah Department of Emergency Management. Sometimes people think they should run, only to find that the earthquake knocks them over, or falling debris hits them. Instead, people should drop down, find cover and stay there until the shaking stops, Dougherty said.
He knows what a giant earthquake feels like. He lived through the Northridge quake that rattled Southern California in 1994, killing dozens of people.
"Most Utahns haven't been through something like that, so it's hard to get your brain around what happens when the earth starts moving," Dougherty said. Officials like Dougherty hope earthquake drills will make the "drop, cover and hold on" safety procedure automatic.
As of Wednesday morning, more than 846,000 people have registered to participate across the state, which is at least 20,000 more than last year. People can still sign up through Thursday morning.
The Shake Out is sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Utah departments of Natural Resources, Public Safety and Emergency Management, Be Ready Utah and the Utah Seismic Safety Commission.
For more information about what to do in an earthquake, go to the Shake Out's website. Be Ready Utah also has several social media accounts where they post safety information, including Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Some Utah earthquake facts:
— Earthquake zones encompass areas where 90 percent of Utah's residents live and work.
— Utah has experienced damaging earthquakes in the past and geologic evidence indicates that earthquakes larger than any experienced locally in historical times are likely in the future.
— Large earthquakes are possible anywhere in Utah, but they are most likely in a "seismic belt" about 100 miles wide extending north to south along the Wasatch Front and through Richfield to Cedar City and St. George.
— Utah averages a magnitude 6 earthquake once every 15 to 20 years.
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