Tyndall, South Dakota — It had been a long time since we had talked about an earthquake in the region when, a little over a month ago, one was reported 250 miles northwest of Sheldon near Bowdle, South Dakota. Now, another earthquake has been felt even closer to us.
The US Geological Survey reports a magnitude 3.1 earthquake near Tyndall, South Dakota on Monday, January 4th, 2021 at 8:55 a.m.
The epicenter was located 4.33 miles north northeast of Tyndall, or about 25 miles northwest of Yankton, or 36 miles roughly east of the Fort Randall Dam at Pickstown. Tyndall is about 90 miles due west of Orange City. No damage was reported. Most of the 51 people who told the USGS that they felt the quake, reported weak shaking.
The quake was centered five kilometers or roughly three miles into the earth.
The quake was the only recent seismic activity in the area, according to the USGS.
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.
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 Tyndall quake was measured at 3.1 on the Richter scale.
