Pickstown, SD — Another earthquake has been reported in South Dakota.
The US Geological Survey reports a magnitude 3.7 earthquake just south of Highway 18, about 10 miles southwest of Fort Randall Dam, which is near Pickstown, SD, or about 136 miles due west of Orange City on Friday, June 4th, at 10:25 a.m. Central Daylight Time. The quake was near the South Dakota/Nebraska border, with the closest town being Anoka, Nebraska, about five miles southwest of the epicenter.
The quake was centered five kilometers or roughly three miles into the earth.
The USGS says the earthquake occurred in a relatively sparsely populated region, with the closest cities of Sioux Falls and Sioux City experiencing weak shaking (MMI 3). Approximately a million people were exposed to weak shaking (MMI 2-3) in this event, while approximately 12 thousand people were exposed to light shaking (MMI 4).
The USGS says the area has a low earthquake risk, and only one category higher than northwest Iowa, which is in an area of lowest risk. But they say earthquakes in northern Nebraska and southern South Dakota are not uncommon.
Officials tell us that there is not one magnitude above which damage will occur. It depends on other variables, such as the distance from the earthquake, what type of soil you are on, etc. That being said, damage does not usually occur until the earthquake magnitude reaches somewhere above 4 or 5. Again, the June 4th quake was measured at 3.7 on the Richter scale.
Other quakes we have told you about recently include a magnitude 3.2 quake in north-central South Dakota on December 9th, 2020, and a 3.1 in the Yankton area on January 4th of this year.
