Small earthquake strikes near Baker City
By Joe Hathaway on Tuesday, January 9th, 2024 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
BAKER CITY — A minor earthquake was recorded outside of Baker City during the early morning hours of Monday, January 8.
According to the U.S.Geological Survey (USGS), the 2.5 magnitude quake struck about 10.5 miles southeast of Baker in Pleasant Valley at around 1:40am. It occurred about 4.5 miles below the ground along the West Baker Valley Fault Zone.
With a magnitude of 2.5, the USGS tells Elkhorn Media Group that the quake was probably too small for people to feel.
The Baker County Sheriff’s Office says it received no reports of any damage from this quake.
According to Paul Laustsen of the USGS, an even smaller 1.9 magnitude quake was recorded on Friday, January 5 about a half mile from the 2.9 quake’s epicenter outside of Baker City.
The last large earthquake in the area was a 6.0 magnitude earthquake that hit central Idaho in March 2020 and was felt for hundreds of miles, including eastern Oregon.
