Idaho Has Largest Earthquake in Over a Year: Did You Feel It?

Over the last couple of years, Idaho has been experiencing more and more earthquakes. Often, residents don't feel them or think they are one of the mysterious sonic booms that occur in the state occasionally. Typically when an earthquake occurs in Idaho, it isn't huge and doesn't catch the public's attention. On Monday morning, January 27 the largest earthquake in nearly a year took place, but where was the epicenter, and when did this earthquake happen?

Large Earthquake in Idaho

Monday morning around 9:32 AM, an earthquake happened in central Idaho, registering a 4.2 on the Richter Scale. The epicenter was 16 miles northwest of Clayton and occurred at a depth of seven miles. This would make it the largest earthquake in Idaho in nearly a year. The good news is that there was no known damage to occur, but those nearby likely felt a shake beneath their feet. More and more earthquakes have been happening over the last few years, and this serves as a reminder that Idaho is not immune to these natural occurrences. While it may not be huge compared to other places, is it a sign of things to come that they appear to be getting bigger? 

Earthquakes in Idaho

In 2024, Idaho experienced 1,455 earthquakes, and in 2023 experienced 1,641. While there was a decrease in numbers from 2023 to 2024, there are still a lot of earthquakes happening. It doesn't seem like there are that many, especially considering few residents seem to feel them.  The biggest in the last two years was a 4.9, which took place in February of 2024 and was the biggest until the one on Monday morning. In the last month of 2024, Idaho experienced 143 earthquakes alone, yet few if any are mentioned on the news or felt, and in the last week alone there have been at least 22 earthquakes already. They can often come out of nowhere and go unnoticed, but from time to time one like the one on Monday will occur and can shake your home or office, depending on where the epicenter is located. 

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There is more happening beneath your feet in Idaho than you realize, and if the first month of the year is any indication of things to come, expect more earthquakes in 2025, and perhaps some bigger ones as well. For more on the earthquake that took place on Monday morning, make sure to click on the link in the first paragraph above. For more on how many earthquakes have been occurring over the last year in Idaho, you can click the link in the third paragraph above.