The USGS reported that a small earthquake occurred about a mile and a hal East Southeast of Malad at 6:45 a.m. Malad time.  The quake was reported to have a shallow depth of around 5 miles, and was mostly felt right near the epicenter, with a few reports of very faint instrument readings in Clifton, Portage, and Downey.  

The reporting site volcanodiscovery.com, which presented the USGS information, noted a few of the local comments.  “I mostly heard it.  Things around me rattling and a few rumbles.”

“It was short and mild.  More like a bang.”

“One big jolt.  Woke everyone up.”

One report was noted as being from San Diego, which did have a small reported earthquake within the last twenty four hours.  By a bizarre coincidence, though, a family on vacation from San Diego was in town on Monday, just passing through.

Prior to Monday’s event, the most recent earthquake potentially felt in the area was a 3.1 quake centered in Thatcher, Utah.  Prior to that, it was a 4.7 earlier in the year in Evanston, Wyoming.

The largest recorded earthquake in Malad was the Pocatello Valley earthquake of 1975, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, and measured a 6.1 on the scale.  The scale is exponential, so a 6.1 earthquake releases approximately 31,622 times as much energy as a 2.6, at least according to the online earthquake energy calculator.  

There was no significant damage or injury reported as of press time.