A few earthquakes shook the Valley late Sunday night with no damage or injuries reported. Seismologists say that while earthquakes are uncommon in Arizona, they do happen, with these being even more unique.
Three earthquakes rattled central Arizona Sunday night, felt by many in the valley and beyond. Occurring outside Black Canyon City, about 45 miles north of Phoenix during a three-hour period, tremors were measured at magnitudes 3.2, 4.1 and 4.0.
While Arizona isn’t used to earthquakes compared to California, several small faultlines do ripple through the state. Edward Garnero is a seismologist at ASU.
“I would say this would be more unusual, several events happening at one spot around the same magnitude," said Garnero. "Almost all earthquakes have aftershocks, that is smaller magnitude events that follow it. The less common thing is that it was preceded by a smaller magnitude or a foreshock.”
Garnero says the strength of these earthquakes can be expected with these types of faults, but residents should not be concerned about a major event.
