November 4, 2009
Chris Gniewosz
The Examiner
A 5.3 magnitude earthquake shook the south Oregon coast this morning. The quake was 120 miles off the coast and ten miles deep in the Juan de Fuca Plate.
What makes this earthquake particularly interesting is its proximity to hundreds of earthquakes recorded here in past years. At least eight swarms of earthquake groupings have occurred since the 1980’s, likely indicating volcanic activity, not simply plate movement. Resources have been diverted to study these unusual events.
The Juan de Fuca plate slides beneath the North American plate in the Cascadia Subduction Zone off the Oregon coast. This is the source of the greatest known earthquake danger in the Pacific Northwest known to have produced a magnitude 9 earthquake in the year 1700. That earthquake triggered a tsunami which reached as far as Japan.
No tsunami or damage was reported with today’s event.
Magnitude 5.3
Date-Time
* Wednesday, November 04, 2009 at 12:38:29 UTC
* Wednesday, November 04, 2009 at 04:38:29 AM at epicenter
Location 43.460°N, 126.774°W
Depth 10 km (6.2 miles) set by location program
Region OFF THE COAST OF OREGON
Distances
* 195 km (121 miles) WNW (282°) from Bandon, OR
* 199 km (124 miles) W (274°) from Barview, OR
* 201 km (125 miles) WNW (294°) from Port Orford, OR
* 283 km (176 miles) NW (313°) from Crescent City, CA
* 400 km (249 miles) SW (236°) from Portland, OR
http://www.examiner.com/x-6116-Portland-Active-Seniors-Travel-Examiner~y2009m11d4-Oregon-coast-53-earthquake-Nov-4-2009