3.7 Washington Quake Should be a 'Wake-Up Call' (with video)
SEATTLE - An earthquake with a magnitude of nearly 4.0 occurred at 5:09 a.m. Wednesday. The University of Washington scientists say it should serve as a wake-up call that a much bigger quake is likely in the future. Earthquake experts at the U.S. Geological Survey reported receiving about 75 calls from startled residents in a wide area who said they heard a loud thump and felt what was described as a "sharp jolt." "It was centered about six miles south of Oak Harbor, about 43 miles north-northwest from Seattle," said Randy Baldwin of the U.S.G.S. "There's a preliminary depth of 36 miles, so it's a fairly deep quake and the magnitude, the preliminary magnitude is of about a 3.7." The University of Washington seismology lab reports it was centered about two miles east-southeast of Coupeville. A dispatcher in Oak Harbor for the Island County sheriff's office says it received several calls from people reporting they felt the quake. Callers to Seattle TV and radio stations say they were awakened by shaking that rattled windows and pictures on the walls. One man, who says he felt the quake while sitting in a chair, says his cat gave him a funny look and ran down the hall. Mitzy Cameron, who llives on the north end of Camano Island, told KING5 News that the quake shook her out of bed. "That could be, depending upon how close in proximity they're located," said Baldwin. Baldwin says there may be aftershocks felt in the area. "That's always to be expected. Generally they can last for several days after a quake." Bill Steele of the University of Washington Seismology Lab says the quake was located in the Juan de Fuca tectonic plate, which is slipping under the North America plate. That interface has produced quakes of magnitude 7 or 8 about every 500 years. The last one was about 300 years ago. The "big one" could come from that plate. The deep quake came from the same zone that produced the destructive 6.8 Nisqually quake in 2001, which cracked the state Capitol dome and rained bricks down from historic buildings in Seattle's Pioneer Square neighborhood. "Every 20 to 30 years, we have one at 6.5 or greater," said Steele. "It is the most frequent source of damaging earthquakes in the region and it will produce big ones in the future."
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