Small quakes shake area near Hebgen Lake

The 1959 quake rearranged Hebgen Lake's shoreline. USGS photo

50th anniversary of the 7.5 quake is coming soon

WEST YELLOWSTONE — A 2.5 magnitude earthquake occurred at 8:53:04 a,m, on Friday, July 24 near Hebgen Lake’s Madison Arm, 8 miles northwest of West Yellowstone. The hypocentral depth was 7 miles. Less than a minute before this quake, a smaller quake occurred in the same place at the same depth. It measured 1.2 on the Richter scale.

August 17 marks the 50th anniversary of a major earthquake that redefined the lake’s shoreline and created a second lake, Quake Lake, when part of a nearby mountain caved in and dammed the Madison River that flows out of Hebgen Lake,

On August 17, 1959 at 11:37 p.m., Jerry Yetter, living in the Duck Creek area, was suddenly awakened when an earthquake shook his home. Duck Creek is a tributary of Hebgen Lake. Yetter and his wife barely escaped from their cabin before it partially collapsed. These experiences, and those of hundreds of others, were a result of the biggest earthquake to ever hit Yellowstone Park and the surrounding area. It measured 7.5 on the Richter scale.

The quake caused 80 million tons of dirt and trees to slide from the southeast side of the canyon into the Madison River at an estimated 100 miles per hour. The force of the slide displaced both the air in the canyon and the water in the Madison River below and buried the Rock Creek public campground. The slide created a barrier across the Madison River that formed Quake Lake. Twenty-eight people lost their lives in the quake and its aftermath.

To mark the 50th anniversary of the Hebgen Lake earthquake and slide, four full days of activities and presentations are planned from August 14 through August 17. Sponsored by the Earthquake Lake Visitor Center (Hebgen Lake District of the Gallatin National Forest), events will be held at different locations, including the Madison River Earthquake Visitor’s Center on Hwy. 287 and the West Yellowstone Chamber of Commerce Auditorium on Yellowstone Avenue in West Yellowstone. Guided walks will take place at Red Canyon fault and the Hebgen Lake fault, Ghost Village, and other sites in the Madison River Canyon earthquake area.

On Friday, August 14, at the opening ceremony at the Earthquake Visitor Center, Jerry Yetter will talk about his experience, as will eight other survivors and rescue workers.

In addition to the opening ceremonies at the Earthquake Lake Visitor Center on Friday, Jack Epstein, U.S.G.S. Geologist in 1959, and Dave Lageson, from M.S.U. Earth Science, will give a Friday night program at the West Yellowstone Visitor Center. Programs for Saturday will include field trips to the Hebgen Lake and Red Canyon faults, guided walks from Refuge Point to Halford’s Camp, a book signing by Doug Huigen, and more evening presentations.

Sunday offers a special smokejumper program and proficiency jump at 9 a.m. at Refuge Point. The 1959 smokejumpers that jumped at Refuge Point and Hebgen Dam will be there to answer questions. Later that afternoon, there will be an Open House for earthquake survivors, rescue workers and families from 1 to 4 p.m., with survivor talks at 2 and 3 p.m. Monday’s events include more survivor talks and a memorial service at the Quake Lake Visitor Center.

Everyone is encouraged to come. This is a once-in- a-lifetime opportunity to learn about one of the biggest natural disasters in American history from people who were there.

For more information visit www.destinationyellowstone.com/events or call Joanne Girvin, Hebgen Lake Ranger District Information Officer, at (406) - 823-6965 of Gallatin National Forest.

This is part of the July 23, 2009 online edition of The Island Park News.

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