A 4.2-magnitude earthquake shook homes and rattled windows across the Puget Sound region on Tuesday afternoon, with residents reporting tremors from the Kitsap Peninsula to Seattle and Bainbridge Island.
The quake struck at about 2.05pm local time near Wauna, west-north-west of Gig Harbor and close to the Kitsap-Pierce county line. It was recorded at a depth of roughly 17 miles, according to earthquake monitoring agencies. ([kiro7.com](https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/did-you-feel-it-42-magnitude-earthquake-kitsap-peninsula/QSXFWXM4KNG2JAAD3LDQC64MYA/?utm_source=openai))
No injuries or damage were reported, although more than 1,800 people submitted reports saying they had felt the shaking across western Washington. ([mynorthwest.com](https://mynorthwest.com/local/earthquake-seattle-port-orchard/4281375?utm_source=openai))
Residents describe boom before homes began shaking
In Gig Harbor, Angie Hodgeboom said her 100-year-old house began to rumble while she was in the living room. She heard what sounded like a loud boom, followed seconds later by another wave of shaking, and ran outside.
Another resident said he initially thought someone was trying to break into his home when the building moved as he watched television.
People in Port Orchard described windows rattling and houses jolting. Ruth Rogers said her mother and aunt felt a sudden jolt followed by further movement.
“It was like a jolt and then some shaking,” Rogers said. “The windows were shaking, and it was very obvious to her there was something going on.”
At Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in Tacoma, footage from inside the aquarium showed fish and sharks reacting briefly to the movement.
School seismograph records Puget Sound earthquake
At Goodman Middle School in Gig Harbor, science teacher Kristin Coovert had just dismissed her sixth-period class when she heard a rumble and saw ceiling tiles move.
“I heard a big kind of boom, like a rumble sound,” Coovert said. “The ceiling tiles shook all at once.”
A Raspberry Shake seismograph installed in the corridor outside her classroom captured the event as it happened. Coovert checked the readings once the movement stopped and confirmed that the shaking had been recorded.
The classroom was not damaged, and Coovert said the data would be used in a science lesson later in the week.
Seismologists said the strength of the shaking experienced by residents depended on factors including their distance from the epicentre, local ground conditions and the type of building they occupied.
The US Geological Survey forecast a heightened chance of smaller aftershocks over the following week, while describing the likelihood of a larger event as low. The Pacific Northwest Seismic Network said the earthquake was a reminder that communities in the region need to remain prepared for future seismic activity. ([kiro7.com](https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/did-you-feel-it-42-magnitude-earthquake-kitsap-peninsula/QSXFWXM4KNG2JAAD3LDQC64MYA/?utm_source=openai))
