Colorado Earthquake

Folks over on the front range felt the ground move yesterday from a 3.6 magnitude earthquake.

The quake happened at about 3:17 p.m. yesterday afternoon Southwest of Colorado Springs in Fremont County. The earth moved enough to rattle some windows and freak some people out, but there was no major damage. Some locals reported hearing a rumbling sound and felt the ground shaking.

The few earthquakes I've felt have been from my time living in Kansas. I know it's not a geological "hotspot" however, there have been frequent quakes over the past several years. These quakes have been felt as far north as Topeka and Lawrence. Those originated in Northern Oklahoma. Many believe the increased seismic activity there is a direct result of the gas and oil drilling technique called Hydraulic Fracturing, or "fracking".

Yesterdays Colorado quake epicenter was about a mile north of Vallie, between the towns of Coaldale and Howard. There were three waves of about two seconds each.  Some of the locals report it as one of the strongest they're felt in quite some time.

Earthquakes of yesterdays magnitude rarely cause damage. An earthquake of a 7 or more magnitude can indeed. Those stronger, in the 7 to 8+ range, can be catastrophic

Credit: Canon City News