Magnitude 6.3 Earthquake Strikes Off Oregon Coast

BANDON, OR — A magnitude 6.3 earthquake struck far off the Oregon coast at around 8 a.m. Thursday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake happened along the Blanco Transform Fault, no the Cascadia Subduction Zone, seismologists said.

The quake is by far the largest that has hit the Pacific Northwest recently. The quake was located at a depth of about 7 miles and about 200 miles from the Oregon coast. As far away as it was, residents from Eugene to Lincoln City felt shaking, according to the USGS.

There was no tsunami threat, according to the National Tsunami Warning Center.

The quake comes during an important seismic moment for the Pacific Northwest. The "slow-slip" tremor event is happening beneath Puget Sound this month, which seismologists think might slightly increase the risk of a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake.

Read: Puget Sound Seismic Tremor Event Has Begun, Seismologists Say

Oregon experienced a slow-slip event earlier this summer.

On July 12, a magnitude 4.6 earthquake hit near Monroe and was felt up and down Puget Sound. It was the strongest earthquake to hit the Seattle area since the 2001 magnitude 6.8 Nisqually quake.