Earthquake shakes Montana, Idaho

HELENA – A magnitude 4.5 earthquake shook parts of western Montana and eastern Idaho on Sunday. There were no immediate reports of property damage or injury to people.

The U.S. Geological Survey’s Web site reported the earthquake’s magnitude and put the time at 5:23 p.m. MST. The agency described the quake’s location as 29 miles southeast of Salmon, Idaho. The location is a sparsely populated, mountainous area along the Montana-Idaho border.

A deputy for the Lemhi County Sheriff’s Department in Salmon said that the office received dozens of calls about the quake, but no damage reports.

“I myself did not feel it, but the inmates felt it,” said Deputy Jess Bowen, whose office is next to jail cells. “They were probably just paying attention, and we were busy doing other things.”

The USGS Web site posted more than 75 reports of the quake having been felt, with some reports from people in Missoula. The quake also was felt in Helena, about 130 air miles northeast of Salmon.