A magnitude 4.3 earthquake has struck Washington state’s Puget Sound region, with shaking reported across parts of the Seattle area. The earthquake struck at 14:05 local time on Tuesday, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS).
Its epicentre was about 3 miles west-north-west of Wauna, Washington, at a depth of about 17 miles (27km), the USGS said.
Residents reported feeling a sudden jolt.
One person in Normandy Park, south of Seattle, described it as a “rather strong, one-and-done jolt”. Others reported feeling the earthquake in Olympia, near the southern end of Puget Sound.
The region has experienced stronger and damaging earthquakes in the past.
On 28 February 2001, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck deep beneath the southern Puget Sound area. It caused damage to buildings in Seattle, Olympia and other communities.
The Seattle area remains vulnerable to earthquakes from faults beneath Puget Sound and the Cascadia subduction zone offshore.
The Cascadia zone is where an oceanic tectonic plate is being pushed beneath the North American plate.