Magnitude 4.4 earthquake hits northwest Oregon

Tremor was felt in nearby Lebanon and Salem

Oregon was shaken by an earthquake measuring 4.4 on the Richter scale, early estimates from the United States Geological Survey(USGS) say.

The quake struck on Friday at 5.52am about 16 kilometres southeast of Lacomb, in Oregon’s Linn County, the USGS said.

There were no reports of damage or injuries as a result of the quake, which social media posts suggested was felt across the northwest Oregon area, including in Lebanon and Salem.

“Did you feel it? A 4.4 earthquake in Linn County,” wrote one Twitter user on Friday morning.

Another person added: “Yes if you felt some shaking in the Salem area there was a small earthquake this morning.”

The USGS revised an early report saying the quake was 4.2, adding that the tremor had a depth of about 13.2 kilometres.

Jeff Forgeron, a local meteorologist, tweeted: “The @USGS upgraded this morning’s earthquake in northwest Oregon to a magnitude 4.4.. Pretty decent shaker. Sounds like many across the region felt it!”

Earthquakes are not uncommon in Oregon, which is home to the Juan De Fuca and North American tectonic plate boundary and the Cascade mountain range, as KTVL meteorologist Holden LeCroy tweeted.

That is where the quake on Friday was believed to have originated from.