Yellowstone Region has High Earthquake Probability
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JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) – A new U.S. Geological Survey report indicates a slightly greater earthquake hazard in the Greater Yellowstone region of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho than previously thought.
And the USGS map of seismic hazards shows that the region is as seismically hazardous as anywhere in the United States.
University of Utah geophysicist Bob Smith says tells the Jackson Hole News & Guide that the nationwide USGS earthquake hazard maps and adjoining documents were last updated in 2006.
The documents are used to determine building codes and dictates how robustly buildings must be constructed.
The last major seismic event in the Yellowstone region was the 1959 Hebgen Lake Quake in Montana that killed 29 people.