Did you feel it? Earthquake rattles Puget Sound early on Christmas Eve morning

Did you sleep through the rumble? A 4.1 magnitude earthquake, typically strong enough to be felt on the surface, was detected by the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network Sunday morning.

The quake was centered about 15 miles from Poulsbo, 31 miles below the surface, the network reported. At 10:30 a.m., 549 people reported feeling it, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. People who felt the quake ranged from British Columbia to Bremerton.

The Puget Sound region is built on two prominent fault lines — the Seattle and Tacoma faults.

The Seattle Fault Zone passes directly under Seattle and follows approximately the same path as Interstate 90. It’s responsible for some of the largest earthquakes in the region in recent memory, such as the Tacoma 6.7 magnitude earthquake in 1965 and the 6.8 magnitude Nisqually earthquake in 2001.

The Tacoma Fault is a series of smaller connecting fault lines, which are cracks along the surface of the Earth where earthquakes typically occur. The primary fault line within the Tacoma Fault Zone is a 35-mile-long rupture between Kent and Union.

The fault zone is responsible for many of Puget Sound’s more minor quakes and is capable of producing a quake up to 7.0 in magnitude, according to a study by the Washington Military Department.

A magnitude 4.1 quake also struck the Big Island of Hawaii around 4:30 p.m. Saturday nine miles southwest of Volcano off the southeastern coast. Dozens reported feeling it through the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake was in the area of Kilauea, a volcano that erupted for several weeks before quieting in September.

Information from News Tribune archives is included in this report. The Associated Press also contributed to this report.

This story was originally published December 24, 2023 at 10:42 AM with the headline "Did you feel it? Earthquake rattles Puget Sound early on Christmas Eve morning."