A small earthquake hit central Washington on Wednesday evening. The 4.3 magnitude quake hit at around 7:45 pm local time. It was centered around 16 miles from Leavenworth, Washington – 117 miles from the state capital of Olympia.
Though the earthquake was relatively mild, it hit at a depth of only 5.7 miles. People in Leavenworth and the surrounding area reported feeling light shaking, and people as far away as Olympia reported feeling some very light shaking. There have been no reports of injuries or damages caused by the earthquake.
This Washington earthquake is one of several smaller earthquakes that have hit notable locations this month. On June 18 Lima, Peru was shaken by a small 4.6 magnitude earthquake that also caused no damage. Last week, northern Italy was hit with a 5.1 magnitude earthquake, and some light damage to property near the town of Fivizzano was reported.
Much larger earthquakes have also been measured in 2013, mostly in the Pacific’s “ring of fire.” In May a massive 8.2 magnitude earthquake hit just off the coast of Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, and in April a 7.2 magnitude earthquake shook a string of islands northeast of Japan.