Earthquakes

An earthquake is a sudden, rapid shaking of the ground caused by the shifting of rocks deep underneath the earth’s surface. Earthquakes can cause fires, tsunamis, landslides or avalanches. They can happen anywhere without warning. On Thursday, January 22, 2026 at 7:49 am, parts of Utah and Wyoming experienced a magnitude (M) 4.7 earthquake with an epicenter 25 miles south of Evanston, Wyoming. 

Uinta County, Wyoming, lies within the prominent Wyoming Overthrust Belt, characterized by major ancient thrust faults like the Absaroka and Whitney Canyon faults. While regional historic seismicity includes minor local quakes and occasional felt events from nearby active zones, surface faults here are primarily deeply-eroded compressional structures from the Laramide orogeny rather than frequent surface-rupturing active earthquakes. 

Major Structural Faults

• Absaroka Thrust Fault: Extends into central and southwestern parts of Uinta County (such as the Aspen Tunnel area), bringing older Paleozoic and Mesozoic rocks over younger strata.

• Whitney Canyon Fault: Associated with deep-seated thrust-belt structures heavily explored for regional oil and natural gas reserves.

• Darby and Hogsback Fault Systems: Additional major regional thrust sheets running roughly parallel through the greater overthrust province.

Local Seismicity and Activity

• Historic Micro-Quakes: The Wyoming State Geological Survey has logged over two dozen minor (magnitude 1.5+) historic earthquakes centered directly inside Uinta County, starting with a small event near Evanston in 1925.

• Regional Shaking: The area occasionally experiences light tremors originating from nearby flanks of the Uinta Mountains or northern Utah tectonic adjustments. 

You can check active data layers and localized hazard mapping using the interactive Wyoming Geologic Hazards Map.

The Best Time To Prepare For Any Disaster Is Before It Happens

• Practice Drop, Cover, and Hold On with family and coworkers.

• Make an Emergency Plan: Create a family emergency communications plan that has an out-of-state contact. Plan where to meet if you get separated. Make a supply kit that includes enough food and water for several days, a flashlight, a fire extinguisher and a whistle.

  1. Include non-perishable foods, cleaning supplies, and water for several days, in case services are cut off in your area. If you are able to, set aside items like soap, hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol, disinfecting wipes, and general household cleaning supplies that you can use to disinfect surfaces you touch regularly. After an earthquake, you may not have access to these supplies for days or even weeks.

  2. Being prepared allows you to avoid unnecessary excursions and to address minor medical issues at home, alleviating the burden on urgent care centers and hospitals.

  3. Remember that not everyone can afford to respond by stocking up on necessities. For those who can afford it, making essential purchases and slowly building up supplies in advance will allow for longer time periods between shopping trips. In addition, consider avoiding WIC-labeled products so that those who rely on these products can access them.

• Protect Your Home: Secure heavy items in your home such as bookcases, refrigerators, televisions and objects that hang on walls. Store heavy and breakable objects on low shelves. Consider making improvements to your building to fix structural issues that could cause your building to collapse during an earthquake. Consider obtaining an earthquake insurance policy. A standard homeowner’s insurance policy does not cover earthquake damage.