DACONO, Colo. — More than 500 people reported feeling a 2.9 magnitude earthquake near Dacono Friday morning.
Calls from Thornton to Firestone poured into the Denver7 newsroom Friday morning. They reported feeling their homes shake and even hearing some loud booms.
"It kind of felt like a door slamming, like my heavy garage door slamming," Dacono resident Kyle Browski told Denver7.
No injuries or damage have been reported.
Denver7 anchor Jessica Porter talked with William Barnhart with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), who said the agency received more than 500 "Did You Feel It?" reports
“Normally, we wouldn't think of a magnitude 2.9 earthquake as something that would really draw a lot of attention, but when it happens in an area like the northern Denver suburbs, it draws a lot of attention,” Barnhart told Porter.
Barnhart said Friday's earthquake was just five miles deep, and that shallow depth is why so many people felt it.
An earthquake of this size in Colorado is surprising, so Denver7 is getting answers about how rare earthquakes are here and what causes them.
“Colorado is an interesting place because earthquakes are kind of rare, but also they happen,” Barnhart said. “There's been 12 earthquakes of magnitude three or larger since the 1960s.”
The largest earthquake ever recorded here was in North-Central Colorado in 1882. Known as “The Big One” at 6.6 magnitude, the earthquake broke electrical generators loose in Denver, knocking out power.
So what’s behind those loud booming sounds? While Barnhart said some of those sounds can be attributed to homes creaking from the tremor. There is a more natural explanation.
“That's pretty common, especially for earthquakes in sort of east of the Rockies, is that there's an auditory boom from them,” Barnhart said. “When those seismic waves hit the Earth's surface, there's a coupling there that can create an audible sound.”
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U.S. Geological Survey registers 2.9 magnitude earthquake in Colorado Friday
While most earthquakes are caused by sudden movements of the earth along fault lines. Colorado can experience induced seismicity from human activities such as fracking for oil and gas. Barnhart said it is too early to tell what caused the shaking in Dacono.
If you want to record your experience of the earthquake near Dacono, the USGS encourages you to file a Did You Feel It report on their website. The data helps them understand the impacts of earthquakes.
