Small Quake Rattles Off South Oregon Coast, 130 Miles from Bandon

Published 9/02/24 at 6:25 a.m.
By Andre' GW Hagestedt, Oregon Coast Beach Connection

(Bandon, Oregon) – A small earthquake rattled off the south Oregon coast Monday morning at 11 a.m., when a Magnitude 4.2 shook about 130 miles west of Bandon, according to USGS. It was centered some 14 miles down, which is double the usual six miles these tend to fire off at. (USGS graphic - also shows other quake spots over the year)

The quake caused no damage and it does not appear anyone felt it. However, the USGS site had three claims of people feeling this quake. Yet they were all in areas too far away for that to actually happen, chiming in from northern Washington and Rockaway Beach on the north coast (over 150 miles away).

It did not cause any alerts and was too small to initiate a tsunami. It requires at least a M 7.0 quake for a tsunami to happen.

There have been nine small quakes in that area in the last three weeks, closer to areas like Crescent City, California, Port Orford, and Brookings. However, two were from explosions on land.

Quakes in this region of the south Oregon coast happen all the time. It occurs on a faultline called the Blanco Fracture Line, which to some degree intersects with the greater Cascade faultline but has nothing to do with it. The Blanco area is where two plates are rubbing up against each other and occasionally release pressure in that area.

See Oregon, Coast Earthquake Updates - Live Data Oregon, Washington, California, Tsunamis

Contrary to popular belief, these small but regular quakes in this area do not represent a releasing of pressure from the larger faultline. These have nothing to do with the greater Cascade faultline, which will one day unleash a magnitude 9.0 on the region.

Also in the region: something has scoured out a bunch of sand at one central Oregon coast beach, and it's causing bedrock to show in summer. This unique situation just south of Newport is also creating temporary, tiny bay-like dents in the sand that have opened up all kinds of recreational possibilities, like fishing holes.

The only photo of this temporary summer oddity is from CoastWatch, taken at Holiday Beach early in August. This area – which is a tad south of South Beach – and the beaches from here to about Lost Creek have suddenly seen lots of sand pulled out and bedrock exposed. That is strange in itself since summer brings in lots of sand to the coast and usually only winter storms take it away. Something a bit different is happening.

It has geologists a little puzzled – but not entirely blown away. Bedrock Showing, New Fishing Holes Forming at Oregon Coast Beach, No One Sure Why 

If you're in the Pacific Northwest - like Seattle, Medford, Portland, Bandon or Seaside - take a look up. A new satellite will be visible every night from now on - one that looks like a square. Now Visible Every Night Above Washington, Oregon, Coast: Solar Sails of New Satellite

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All photos courtesy Manuela Durson - Manuela Durson Fine Arts

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Andre' GW Hagestedt is editor, owner and primary photographer / videographer of Oregon Coast Beach Connection, an online publication that sees over 1 million pageviews per month. He is also author of several books about the coast.

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