Associated Press
SPOKANE — A magnitude 4.0 earthquake rattled Spokane on Sunday morning, followed by a series of aftershocks, one registering a magnitude of 3.1.
There were no early reports of damage or injuries, but calls by concerned citizens to Spokane-area radio stations indicated the initial 8 a.m. temblor was widely felt.
Initial reports described a 3.8-magnitude quake centered about 13 miles east-northeast of Spokane, but researchers interpreting signals from a network of seismic monitoring devices later said it was a 4.0 quake just 1.2 miles north of the city. The initially reported depth of about 8.8 miles was revised to 2.8 miles.
The 3.1-magnitude aftershock occurred about an hour and a half later.
More than 40 small quakes have been felt in the Spokane area since a magnitude 3.4 quake on June 25 signaled the apparent awakening of an ancient fault line.
The Latah Creek fault, which has been dormant for 1.5 million years, runs diagonally under the city.
Bob Derkey, a geologist with the state Department of Natural Resources in Spokane, said it will take some time for scientists to figure out exactly where the quake originated and how it relates to others that have rumbled the region in recent months.
"These things aren’t dying down," Derkey said, noting that some seismologists are concerned that Sunday’s quake was stronger than the one in June.
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