# 6.5 Magnatude Quake 45 Miles West of Challis Idaho



## 50119 (Jan 17, 2016)

Due West put's it almost under the upper Middle Fork, but that an approximate center. That might create new obstacles on top of virus closures.


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## Pine (Aug 15, 2017)

codycleve said:


> Pure speculation but we just had a 6.5 earthquake and the epicenter was near marsh creek. New rapids.. i'm sorry but this is the first place my brain goes. Shook the hospital in Salmon pretty good.


Everyone safe there in Salmon? Any damage?


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## codycleve (Mar 26, 2012)

none that I have heard from, my wife called and we lost a wine glass.. rest in peace.. kids where freaked out.. stanley was really close.


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## codycleve (Mar 26, 2012)

https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us70008jr5/map


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## Lipripper60 (Jul 1, 2018)

Felt it in Idaho Falls.


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## MT4Runner (Apr 6, 2012)

My wife felt it here in Kalispell, MT.

I was standing 5' away and didn't feel it!

Epicenter was under "Shake Cr" a tributary to Marsh Cr, and only a few mi from Hwy 21.


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## codycleve (Mar 26, 2012)

Does this look like a river blockage to you?


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## raymo (Aug 10, 2008)

Hopefully it's just a glitch in the electronics of the measuring unite. If not there is definitely something significant going on up river.


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## wharf-rat (Jan 29, 2019)

That image looks like the current stock market 🙁


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## Conundrum (Aug 23, 2004)

I bet there's something blocked. Lot's of slides going off pre earth quake. Hang fire had to come down after the shake. Ironic the the epi center was by Shake Creek.


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## MT4Runner (Apr 6, 2012)

Hopefully it's ice and snow.

Or could be an interesting new rapid after the river breaks through!


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## Conundrum (Aug 23, 2004)

My guess is the FS will fly the canyon well before opening anything after every thing going on. It will be interesting to see what they find. Crazy times...


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## codycleve (Mar 26, 2012)

look at all the after shock quakes. several over magnitude 3 and some farther down river. 

https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthqu...ewModes":["list","map"],"event":"us70008jr5"}


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## MT4Runner (Apr 6, 2012)

Strange thing to me is that it looks like the flow dropped significantly 18 hours after the quake. But the gauging station is about 32 miles downriver...so that's still 2mph if there was a big plug up high?

Snow water equivalent at Banner summit went up 2" in the past 18 hours...and another 2" only in the last week before that. It had been 16-17.5" SWE most of the winter and jumped up to 21.1" SWE in the last 8 days. There's a LOT of snow represented by that almost 4" of water. Avalanches don't surprise me a bit.

The FS posted a webcam pic from Banner summit of a slide _before_ the quake. No doubt the quake triggered quite a few more that may not have slid on their own. 

Crazy interesting. it will be cool to learn what actually happened when it all melts.


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## Conundrum (Aug 23, 2004)

My slide prediction could be way off too and I'll eat some crow. Could just be really cold and new snow but that still is a big drop. Or the gauge froze up or was damaged. Either way, interesting indeed.


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## codycleve (Mar 26, 2012)

it's coming back up just as sharp as the drop off was. I think if it was a blockage that dammed the river and broke free we will see it go above the previous level.


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## codycleve (Mar 26, 2012)

so a local just posted on facebook that they drove by the confluence and said the middle fork is essentially empty... So something happened..

Edit. There is a contradicting post on river rafter anonymous that they flew it and all looks well.


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## MT4Runner (Apr 6, 2012)

You're right, it is coming back up sharply.

THIS IS AWESOME!!!


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## MT4Runner (Apr 6, 2012)

Conundrum said:


> My slide prediction could be way off too and I'll eat some crow. Could just be really cold and new snow but that still is a big drop. Or the gauge froze up or was damaged. Either way, interesting indeed.


Zero need for any crow eating. None of us can see it with our own eyes, we're stuck in our homes, and watching Facebook and the USGS site counts for entertainment these days. Would you rather speculate on this or a COVID graph? I'll take the river!*

Either snow or dirt, a slide is a real possibility.

Seems like ice causes really crazy readings...like up and down off the charts, or dead flatline. This charts out a little more like the water is actually moving.

*I was invited on a 5/24 launch, and earlier it looked like a possibility, then COVID hit and I would have hated to miss the trip due to a superbug. I can rationalize it better with earthquakes and avalanches!! Nature is cool!


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## Conundrum (Aug 23, 2004)

Already canceled an Owyhee due to Covid so I'll take river flows any day over Covid. Loosely planning a Bruneau or two...flows are down now and it's staying cold out there. Going to be a game time decision if we're still in lock down when it goes. Hell's in June that is seeming like a question mark now. MFS in August and I would hope we're in the clear by then.


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## MT4Runner (Apr 6, 2012)

I have an invite for a late June Main, like you, I am preparing for it to be a "maybe".

Hopefully they don't close the MF Flathead, I'll make some long weekend trips nearer to home.


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## MT4Runner (Apr 6, 2012)

I got all excited then read a post where someone pointed out it was only a 3.5" drop on the gauge.

(but it was exciting while it lasted!)


then saw this:


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## Andy H. (Oct 13, 2003)

Here's a good listing of resources to check out the quake:

Accumulating links for M6.5 earthquake 72 km west of Challis Idaho 3/31/2020 4:52 pm


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## Conundrum (Aug 23, 2004)

Mystery solved. Looks like something that briefly dammed and then was gone.


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## MT4Runner (Apr 6, 2012)

Beautiful.


I assume that was above Dagger? (which could still account for 1/3+ of the river's flow right now)


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## Wadeinthewater (Mar 22, 2009)

*Snow slide*

I think it is this spot about 6 1/2 miles above Dagger and 3 miles below the confluence of Marsh and Bear Valley.


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## codycleve (Mar 26, 2012)

Hard to believe there won't be at least some change... here are some pictures of rocks they are clearing off the salmon river road between north fork and corn creek.


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## codycleve (Mar 26, 2012)

I got woke up again night before last from shaking. the one that woke me up was a 4.1. There have been 433 earthquakes in the last 30 days at marsh creek, 10 in the last 24 hours. i'm wondering how long this fault will be this active. Might be some shaky nights at boundary creek this summer. here is a map of all the updated activity. 
https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthqu...odes":["list","map","settings"],"event":null}


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## raymo (Aug 10, 2008)

*I know nothing about earthquakes, but..*



codycleve said:


> I got woke up again night before last from shaking. the one that woke me up was a 4.1. There have been 433 earthquakes in the last 30 days at marsh creek, 10 in the last 24 hours. i'm wondering how long this fault will be this active. Might be some shaky nights at boundary creek this summer. here is a map of all the updated activity.
> https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthqu...odes":["list","map","settings"],"event":null}


That looks pretty concerning to me. That seams like alot of earth shaking events, too. Sounds like a good time to take a vacation somewhere. Just an idea!


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