Moderate Earthquake Rattles West Side Little Damage Reported From 4.9 Temblor; Kingdome Checked; First Lady Unfazed

Tue., June 24, 1997

Associated Press

A moderate earthquake shook much of Western Washington early Monday afternoon and reportedly was felt from Mount Vernon to Olympia, about 100 miles apart.

The earthquake had a magnitude of 4.9, which can cause moderate damage, said Seth Moran, a seismologist at the University of Washington seismology lab.

The 12:13 p.m. quake was centered about 3.7 miles northeast of Bremerton in Kitsap County at a depth of about a mile, the UW lab reported. Bremerton is on the west side of Puget Sound about 13 miles west of Seattle.

There were no immediate reports of serious damage, although a mobile home was knocked slightly off its foundation in the Silverdale area about eight miles north of Bremerton, said Elaine Valencia, spokeswoman for Bremerton’s emergency services.

First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton was attending a reception at the Rainier Club in downtown Seattle when the quake hit but gave no indication of having felt it, said Charleene Smith, the club’s catering manager.

Bremerton City Hall was evacuated briefly as a precaution, as was the Kitsap County Courthouse in nearby Port Orchard.

The Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton did not report any damage, but all buildings were being checked, spokesman John Gordon said.

Officials at the Kingdome in Seattle, where the Seattle Mariners baseball team was scheduled to play the Oakland Athletics on Monday night, inspected the domed stadium but found no damage, Kingdome spokeswoman Carol Keaton said.

Callers to Seattle television stations reported the quake knocked items to the floor and caused wall hangings to sway.

Initial reports indicated the quake was felt as far north as Mount Vernon, 55 miles from Seattle, and as far south as Olympia, 45 miles away.

A few minor aftershocks of magnitude 1 to 2 were recorded and likely will continue for several days, said Anthony Qamar, another UW seismologist.

Scientists are working to establish the fault on which the quake occurred, but the epicenter was in the east-west Seattle fault zone, which is several miles wide, Qamar said.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: MAJOR QUAKES Recent earthquakes in Washington state, with date, magnitude, epicenter and depth: Jan. 1, 1997, 3.7, 12 miles north-northeast of Yakima, 12 miles deep. Dec. 15, 1996, 2.9, 34 miles northwest of Aberdeen, 20 miles deep. Sept. 29, 1996, 3.5, 22 miles north of Poulsbo, 35 miles deep. Sept. 24, 1996, 3.5, 15 miles west of Poulsbo, 30 miles deep. July 3, 1996, 3.0, five miles east-northeast of Duvall (aftershock from 5.4 magnitude quake that struck near Duvall on May 2, 1996).

This sidebar appeared with the story: MAJOR QUAKES Recent earthquakes in Washington state, with date, magnitude, epicenter and depth: Jan. 1, 1997, 3.7, 12 miles north-northeast of Yakima, 12 miles deep. Dec. 15, 1996, 2.9, 34 miles northwest of Aberdeen, 20 miles deep. Sept. 29, 1996, 3.5, 22 miles north of Poulsbo, 35 miles deep. Sept. 24, 1996, 3.5, 15 miles west of Poulsbo, 30 miles deep. July 3, 1996, 3.0, five miles east-northeast of Duvall (aftershock from 5.4 magnitude quake that struck near Duvall on May 2, 1996).