Whidbey Island earthquake near Oak Harbor hits magnitude of 3.8

A magnitude 3.8 earthquake shook outside of Oak Harbor on Whidbey Island on Wednesday night, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The center of the earthquake was a little over a mile east off the shore of Oak Harbor, according to USGS. It happened around 11:35 p.m. at a depth of about 15.7 miles. 

Seismic instruments and submitted reports said the shaking levels were “weak.” Some residents reported they could feel the shaking in a Whidbey Island community page on social media.

While Whidbey Island is vulnerable to the Cascadia Subduction Zone that could rock the rest of the west coast with “the big one,” there are also four notable fault lines running through the area just north of Port Townsend that could produce a significant earthquake, according to Island County. 

The 3.8 magnitude earthquake was bracketed by five smaller earthquakes between 1 p.m. Wednesday and 4 a.m. Thursday, ranging from magnitudes of 1.7 to 2.4, according to volunteer database volcanodiscovery.com.

For some tips on earthquake preparedness, visit st.news/earthquake.