Magnitude 5.9 Quake Off The Oregon Coast

On Wednesday evening October 12, 2011, a magnitude 5.9 quake rumbled under the Pacific Ocean off the Oregon Coast.

It was a little more than 200miles west-southwest of Newport, Oregon.

This was too small to generate any kind of tsunami (closer to magnitude 7.0 is the approximate ‘tsunami generating size’ of quake you need).

But it’s a reminder that the Pacific Northwest is an earthquake hazard zone and that someday, this quake zone off our coast will unleash a monster 9.0 quake. The Cascadia Subduction Zone is always active.

This is another in a series of 2011 quakes in this area. Â Scientist are not sure whether these quakes are releasing stress (and delaying the ‘big one’) or doing just the opposite. Stay tuned!