Earthquake Hits Western North Dakota | Video

Evan Kruegel | 10/1/2012

Earthquakes in North Dakota are very rare, but one was recorded 11 miles south-east of Williston on Friday morning. The 3.3-Magnitude quake was recorded by the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology during early morning hours.

So far, no one has come forth saying they physically felt the quake, which occurred right in the middle of the Missouri River. Geologist Mike Stickney is the Director of Earthquake Studies at the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology.

He said this is the first earthquake recorded in North Dakota this year, and the largest he`s seen recorded in North Dakota in quite some time.

“A 3.3 is right about the lower limit of the size where people would begin to notice an earthquake. If you were near the epicenter you might hear a boom or feel a slight little tremble, it’s always highly possible that an earthquake of that size would go unnoticed if it occurred at night or if somebody was not paying attention. It’s right at the threshold of noticeability."

Stickney said North Dakota is one of the least active seismic states in the entire country, and that a 3.3 magnitude earthquake is extremely rare for the region.

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