An earthquake measuring 2.0 on the Richter scale rumbled near Kent Tuesday afternoon, but there wasn’t any immediate damage to report.<\/p>\n
In fact, local officials weren’t aware there had even been a tremor.<\/p>\n
Kent Fire Department public information officer Kyle Ohashi, contacted several hours after the quake, said he hadn’t been notified.<\/p>\n
Rosalee Givens, a facilities assistant in the city’s facility maintenance department, said her office wasn’t aware of it either.<\/p>\n
The quake – small enough to be called a “microquake” by seismologists – rattled in at 1:39 p.m. about two miles southeast of Kent and three miles north of Auburn. Taking place about 24 1\/2 miles underground, the small shock didn’t generate any immediate reports of property damage.<\/p>\n
Rafael Abreu, a geophysicist for the National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colo., on Tuesday confirmed there had been a quake.<\/p>\n
“It’s a pretty normal quake for that area,” Abreu said, noting the Puget Sound area sits atop sections of the earth’s crust that are known for movement.<\/p>\n
Called the “Cascadia Subduction Zone,” the area involves one segment of the earth’s crust (known as a “tectonic plate,”) moving under another tectonic plate.<\/p>\n
“It’s part of the tectonic plate process going on in the area,” Abreu said, noting small quakes are a common part of that movement.<\/p>\n
But he did note that while Tuesday’s rumble wasn’t much, it’s a reminder of bigger things to come for the Puget Sound area, thanks to the Cascadia Subduction Zone.<\/p>\n
“A larger earthquake is a definite possibility,” he said. “It’s not a matter of if, but a matter of when. The population should really, really be aware … there is a significant seismic hazard in the area.”<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Data on the Oct. 14 Kent-area quake:<\/p>\n
Magnitude: 2.0<\/p>\n
Date-Time: Oct. 14, 20:39:18<\/p>\n
Location: 47.350 degrees North, 122.206 degrees West<\/p>\n
Depth: 39.3 km (24.4 miles)<\/p>\n
Region: Seattle-Tacoma urban area, Washington<\/p>\n
Distances: 2 miles SSE from Kent; 3 miles N from Auburn; 4 miles SSW from East Hill-Meridian<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Source: USGS Earthquake Hazards Program<\/p>\n
For more information, log on to:\/\/earthquake.usgs.gov\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
An earthquake measuring 2.0 on the Richter scale rumbled near Kent Tuesday afternoon, but there wasn’t any immediate damage to report.
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