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3.6-magnitude earthquake rattles Flathead Valley early Saturday morning

-Daily Inter Lake | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 10 years, 2 months AGO
by -Daily Inter Lake
| April 11, 2015 8:08 PM

An earthquake caused a stir in the Flathead Valley early Saturday morning as residents from Somers up to north of Columbia Falls felt the tremor shake buildings. 

The 3.6-magnitude earthquake hit around 12:45 a.m. on Saturday, resulting in excessive noise and shaking walls across the region. There were no reports of injuries or serious damage.

The epicenter was about 2 miles south-east of Somers, and was 4.4 miles deep, according to information from the U.S. Geological Survey. 

From Kila through Kalispell, and up to Whitefish, residents across the valley felt the quake.  

“[I] heard a loud bang and wondered what was going on,” Kathie Arvidson, of Columbia Falls, wrote on the Daily Inter Lake’s Facebook page. “Thought the boogie man was breaking in.” 

David Dobyns felt the quake in Kila, and said the initial jolt lasted five to six seconds and was followed by short “tremor vibrations.” 

Several people reported that they thought a car or large truck hit the building they were in at the time due to the loud thundering noise and shaking buildings. 

“Quite a jolt in downtown Kalispell,” wrote Facebook user Cindy Hunter. “Then I felt dizzy for about a minute after, like it was still rolling.”

Several noteworthy earthquakes have taken place in the valley in recent months. Over a three-week period in November, a 3.0-magnitude quake struck 33 miles southwest of Kalispell, a 3.5-magnitude quake hit the same region, a 4.0-magnitude hit near Marion and a 3.9-magnitude earthquake struck 3 miles northwest of Columbia Falls.    

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ARTICLES BY -DAILY INTER LAKE