Did you feel this earthquake that shook Whatcom County, only miles west of Mt. Baker
A 2.1-magnitude earthquake struck early Sunday in Whatcom County, less than 17 miles west of Mount Baker’s summit, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
The quake occurred at approximately 4:46 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 2, according to the USGS, and was centered west of the intersection of State Routes 9 and 542, between the North Fork of the Nooksack River and Rutsatz Road, according to Google Maps. The USGS reported it was 2.2 miles east southeast of Deming and 15.1 miles east northeast of Bellingham.
As of Monday morning, Oct. 3, one person had reported feeling the shaking to the USGS on its “Did You Feel It?” page.
The quake was measured near the earth’s surface, according to the USGS, and there were no reports of damage from the shaking.
USGS records show there was a second, smaller earthquake of 1.2 magnitude only a few hundred yards from Mount Baker’s summit less than two hours later.
Quakes of less than magnitude 3.0 are common, and tens of thousands are reported worldwide every year, according to the USGS. A quake of magnitude 1.0 to 3.0 is not felt except by a very few under especially favorable conditions, according to the USGS.
This story was originally published October 3, 2022 at 8:28 AM.
