Western Washington got a jolt early Thursday morning, as a 3.4 magnitude earthquake shook the region near Carnation, reported VolcanoDiscovery. The tremor, which struck just after 5 a.m., was centered over 8.5 miles east of Carnation and roughly 30 miles southeast of Everett.
No damages or injuries have been reported, but the King5 News said the shakes were felt beyond the epicenter, reaching as far as Oak Harbor and near Bremerton, residents were waking up to find their homes had shaken, but everything seemed to be as it was, the community were left unalarmed by the early morning earth's tremble.
The earthquake occurred in an area known for seismic activity due to the movement of the Juan de Fuca Plate and the North America Continental Plate, as per details provided by the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network (PNSN). FOX13 Seattle reported that the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network had initially pegged the quake at 3.5 but subsequently downgraded it to 3.4 following a review.
Washington State, due to its geological composition and the presence of the Cascadia Subduction Zone, is considered the second-highest risk state in the U.S. for large destructive earthquakes, "earthquakes happen in Washington every day," but most are imperceptible, "a community intensity map compiled by PNSN and the United States Geological Service shows the shaking was felt as far west as Oak Harbor and near Bremerton," King5 News detailed the different types of quakes the region experiences, which include shallow fault, deep, and subduction zone earthquakes, all with varying impacts and intensities.
Despite the early disturbance, residents carried on with their day, reminded once again of the Earth's unpredictable power and the ever-present possibility of the ground shaking beneath their feet, while authorities stood vigilant, watchful of the quiet hum of the world, the dance of tectonic plates continuing unabated.
