Has Phoenix, Arizona ever experienced earthquakes?
One of the reasons many people come to live in Arizona is because there are few natural disasters. Once they have experienced floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, and earthquakes in California, they tend to look for a place where they are less likely to have to evacuate their homes every two years.
Although earthquakes are rare in Arizona, and when they do occur, there is usually no devastation, they do occur. Earthquakes with a magnitude between 2 and 3 are quite common, mainly in the northern and mountainous half of the state. On May 9, 2009, a magnitude 3.1 earthquake occurred near Cordes Lakes, Arizona. That’s just 80 miles from downtown Phoenix. In 1976 there was a 4.9 magnitude earthquake in Chino Valley, about 100 miles north of Phoenix. On June 28, 2014, the United States Geological Survey reported a magnitude 5.2 earthquake at 10 p.m. centered in southeastern Arizona, about 35 miles east of Safford.
The tremors were felt in Phoenix. In November 2015, three earthquakes, ranging from 3.2 to 4.1 on the Richter scale, occurred near Black Canyon City, which is less than 50 miles north of Phoenix.
Northern Arizona University studies seismic activity in Arizona, and maintains a map of the Arizona faults. You can get information on all recent earthquakes from the US Geological Survey. USA
Bottom line: the claim that there is no seismic activity in Arizona is false. It’s a myth. We have earthquakes in Arizona, but rarely, if ever, do they result in damage or injury.
