A series of earthquakes struck off the Oregon coast Tuesday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
Five temblors, ranging from magnitude 3.9 to magnitude 5.7, rumbled in the Pacific Ocean just over 100 miles west-southwest of Port Orford between about 7:20 p.m. and 9 p.m.
Such earthquakes in the region are common. No one has reported to the U.S. Geological Survey that they felt any of the earthquakes.
5.7 magnitude is considered a “moderate” earthquake. “Each whole number increase in magnitude represents a tenfold increase in measured amplitude as measured on a seismogram,” according to the U.S Geological Survey.
Experts say there’s about a 15% likelihood in the next 50 years of a severe earthquake along the Cascadia Subduction Zone off the Washington, Oregon and California coasts. Such a quake might devastate much of the Oregon coast and cause significant damage in Portland.
-- The Oregonian/OregonLive