4.0 magnitude earthquake has Lincoln area rattling again

From the Lincoln's 5.8 earthquake was Montana's biggest in decades. Here's our coverage series

JESSE CHANEY Independent Record
Jul 17, 2017
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Less than two weeks after a 5.8 magnitude earthquake rocked western Montana, the same area was rattling again early Monday as a result of a 4.0 magnitude temblor centered near Lincoln.

Monday’s quake originated from a depth of about 7 miles underground roughly 8 miles southeast of Lincoln at 2:49 a.m., according to preliminary data from the U.S. Geological Survey. That was followed by a 2.7 magnitude tremor centered about 2 miles east of the first quake at 5:51 a.m.

Hundreds of people from parts of Montana, Idaho and Washington took to social media and the USGS website to report they felt Monday's earthquake, though Lewis and Clark County Sheriff Leo Dutton said no damage has been reported so far. People from Deer Lodge, Canyon Creek and Boulder ranked the intensity as IV, which is described as light shaking with no damage.

That #earthquake woke me up last night! Hoping this isn't leading up to a catastrophic one! #mtquake #Montana
— Amy Savannah (@Amy_Savannah) July 17, 2017

Brittany Carter, a bartender at the Wheel Inn Tavern in Lincoln, said Monday's earthquake was nothing like the one that sent bottles flying from the shelves earlier this month.

"I felt the energy and I just held onto the bar and felt a three-second rattle, and then it was over," she said, adding that people in the small community are still "on edge" from the last big quake.

Lincoln firefighter Bill Cyr said he has not heard any reports of Monday's earthquake overturning items or knocking them off the walls.

"I actually slept through it, and most of the people I talked to slept through it," he said.

Hundreds of small earthquakes have been recorded near Lincoln since the 5.8 magnitude event July 6, including up to 4.9 magnitude tremors the same day, but Monday’s was the largest to hit the area since then, according to USGS data.

The epicenter of the July 6 quake was about 6 miles south of Lincoln, originating from a depth of nearly 3 miles underground.

That quake was felt from Missoula to Billings and some surrounding states. It knocked items off of walls and shelves as far away as Helena and Missoula, caused a temporary power outage in Lincoln and caused a gas leak in Helena.