March 12, 1934 Earthquake: Utah, United States

This earthquake occurred in Hansel Valley, a sparsely populated area. Two people were killed. Property damage was limited mainly to downed chimneys and cracked walls in poorly constructed brick buildings [...] An outstanding feature of this earthquake was the large quantity of water emitted from the craterlets and fissures that developed in the area. (reference #542)

The main shock occurred approximately 30 miles north of the Great Salt Lake at 8:05 a.m. local time. Five significant aftershocks were recorded over a nearly eight-week period from March 12 to May 6, 1934 [...] Some of the most severe damage was reported in Logan, Utah and surrounding communities [...] Two deaths were attributed to the earthquake. Ida Atkinson died instantly from a heart attack upon hearing that the shaking she felt was due to an earthquake. Salt Lake City waterworks employee Charles Bithel was injured when a six-foot trench in which he was working at the time of the earthquake caved in. Bithel died from his injuries the following day in a local hospital. (reference #12600)

In 1934, another Hansel Valley earthquake, near the Great Salt Lake's northern arm, may have generated a tsunami-type wave , or may not have. That earthquake was an estimated 6.6. The evidence we have is from an Idaho Falls Post-Register article that year stating, "The north end of Great Salt Lake pushed out over the landscape after the first shock and spread its salty water over an area of about two miles beyond its normal bounds. Within 12 hours the water receded again, leaving great ponds in the lower places." A wave is not necessarily the explanation for this event, said Pechmann [seismologist with the University of Utah] . "I'm more inclined to think that shaking up . . . water-saturated sediments (of the land) caused water to come out on the surface." (reference #13787)