Small Tremor Near Buckley Gently Shakes Communities by Mount Rainier

A brief tremor rippled across the region late Friday as seismic instruments registered a magnitude 2.5 earthquake southeast of Seattle, about 2 kilometers east-southeast of Buckley, Washington. Preliminary data from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network (PNSN) place the event at 11:59 p.m. UTC (4:59 p.m. PDT) at a depth of roughly 17.9 kilometers (11 miles). The quake struck in the Cascade foothills just northwest of Mount Rainier National Park.

Early community reports described light shaking in Buckley and neighboring Enumclaw. No injuries or damage have been reported, and as of Saturday morning, the USGS had recorded a single response to its “Did You Feel It?” survey.

While magnitude 2.5 earthquakes are common in western Washington and rarely cause harm, they serve as reminders of the region’s active tectonic setting shaped by the Cascadia Subduction Zone.

Residents who experienced the tremor are encouraged to share what they felt through the USGS “Did You Feel It?” survey, which helps scientists refine their understanding of local ground motion and ongoing seismic activity.