A magnitude 5.7 earthquake shook parts of Utah earlier today, including the state capital of Salt Lake City, where significant damage is already being reported.
The quake was the largest to hit the state since 1992, and was quickly followed by multiple aftershocks, ranging from 2.5 to 3.9 magnitude.
The cities of Magna and West Valley City – located on the outskirts of Salt Lake City – are thought to have experienced the strongest shaking.
Analysts at re/insurance broker TigerRisk expect to see considerable damage in poorly built or badly designed structures in the surrounding area.
The firm added that ordinary structures might also be slightly to moderately damaged, while engineered structures are not expected to show damage.
Striking at around 7am local time 4 miles northeast of Magna, the earthquake knocked out power for more than 32,000 residents.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) noted that most of the population in the affected regions live in structures that are resistant to earthquake shaking, although it acknowledged that vulnerable structures do also exist.
Accordingly, it has issued a yellow alert for economic losses, meaning that some damage is possible, with losses likely to be less than 1% of US GDP and in the range of $10 million to $100 million.
Past events with this alert level have required a local or regional level response, the USGS said, adding that the quake could also result in secondary hazards such as landslides.
In terms of shaking-related fatalities, at this point the USGS does not believe the earthquake is likely to have caused any deaths.
