Shake, rattle and quake

SANDPOINT — Small shakes were felt around Sandpoint after a 3.4-magnitude earthquake centered about 12 miles southeast of the city on Monday around Lake Pend Oreille.

Paul Bodin, research professor at the University of Washington, said more than 98 people felt the earthquake in 14 ZIP codes, all in North Idaho.

According to the U.S. Geological Service, the quake was felt all around Lake Pend Oreille.

The intensity of the quake reached a three, or “weak shaking,” Bodin said. Usually damages occur around earthquakes reaching a six intensity.

“It was pretty far from being damaging on the intensity scale,” Bodin said.

The earthquake was at a depth of 18 and a half kilometers, or about 10-12 miles deep into the ground, he said.

Bodin said aftershocks could still occur. His closest radar is in Davenport, Wash., and it shows no activity for North Idaho. Earthquakes could have no aftershocks, have many or have a limited amount within the next few days from the original earthquake.

“Earthquakes have different personalities,” Bodin said. “The total duration of aftershocks doesn’t correlate strongly with the magnitude of the earthquake.”

Bodin said there has been earthquakes more frequently in North Idaho, but that is because the area is known for seismic activity and he sees nothing unusual or surprising with the earthquake. The last earthquake to shake Bonner County was April 23, when a 4.1-magnitude quake hit the area.

“There’s nothing I would consider unusual,” Bodin said. “That part of Idaho is seismically active.”

The U.S. Geological Service owns the earthquake, in conjunction with Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology.

“In a sense they located it and are collecting information about it,” Bodin said.