For a few unexpected seconds on Jan. 31, the ground beneath Great Falls shook and so did the routine of a normal school day. A magnitude 3.2 earthquake struck the area at 12:41 p.m., according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake was centered about 1.8 miles northwest of Malmstrom Air Force Base at a depth of roughly six miles underground. Officials reported no damage to base facilities or the surrounding missile field. The National Weather Service said the tremor was felt across a wide area, from Shelby to Helena.
At C.M. Russell High School, the brief shaking brought a wave of surprise, confusion and, for some, concern.
“I thought it was just me moving. I didn’t realize the entire building was,” chemistry teacher Chris Hibbert said.
Spanish teacher Tammy Petzold had a different first reaction.
“I thought that it was a chemistry lab that had blown up, because there have been times when things went wrong up there,” she said.
For many students, the shaking caught them off guard.
“It was pretty scary. I kinda just went into kindergarten mode when we were hiding under the tables,” senior Jasper Smith said.
Junior Emma Reiger described a similar feeling.
“It wasn’t horrible, but definitely a little scary,” she said.
For senior Henry Blake, the moment felt a lot more serious.
“I thought we were gonna die. After it was over, I was genuinely just waiting for the real earthquake to hit and the entire building to collapse,” he said.
Not everyone experienced the quake at school. Senior Jocelyn Burnham was at Planet Fitness when the building began to shake.
“I was running on the treadmill and I thought something hit the building,” she said.
Back at CMR, the timing added to the confusion in some classes.
“I was in weight training, and someone was going for a new PR when it happened, and when he dropped the weight the entire Earth exploded,” sophomore Jayson Moffett said.
Junior Kieran Beam experienced the moment from a rolling chair.
“I was rolling around on the rolly chair — extremely fast,” he said.
Some students also noticed differing responses depending on the classroom they were in.
“We did not follow any protocol,” senior Grant Brumwell said.
Although no damage was reported, the tremor served as a reminder that earthquake activity is a part of life in Montana. The National Weather Service reports that several small earthquakes occur in the state each year, though most are too minor to be felt. In recent years, the last noticeable quake near Great Falls was a magnitude 2.2 recorded in December 2021 at 5:57 a.m. (EarthquakeTrack). Compared to that, the recent 3.2 magnitude tremor was much harder to ignore.
Where were you when the ground shook?
Sources:
Earthquake Track. “2.2 Magnitude Earthquake 0.0 km from Great Falls, Montana, United States.” Earthquake Track, 20 Dec. 2021, 12:57 PM UTC. https://earthquaketrack.com/quakes/2021-12-20-12-57-18-utc-2-2-16
