Earthquake Rattles West Central Wyoming

UPDATE: 4:00 p.m. -

FORT WASHAKIE, Wyo. (AP) — A 4.9 magnitude earthquake jolted much of western Wyoming on Saturday, but no damage was reported.

John Bellini, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey in Golden, Colo., says the temblor occurred at 7:16 a.m. about 45 miles underground. The nearest city is Fort Washakie, about 9 miles east of the epicenter.

Bellini says "it was felt widely in western Wyoming, but this is too deep of an earthquake to cause any damage. ... A lot of people might have felt something but they wouldn't know what they felt because it woke them up."

The area experiences a handful of earthquakes a year.

At 7:16 this morning a 4.9 magnitude earthquake rattled west central Wyoming.

The earthquake,according to the USGS, had an epicenter 12 miles west of Ft Washakie was felt throughout the region. This area is directly north of the Continental fault.

No damage has been reported at this time, however early reports are that it was felt in 31 Wyoming communities.