TOKELAND, Wash. – A minor 2.4 earthquake briefly shook the ground about four miles northwest of Tokeland near the Pacific-Grays Harbor county line Wednesday morning at 9:34 a.m., according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

There were no immediate reports that anyone even noticed the quake. It occurred at a depth of about 23 miles, USGS reported on its Web site, based on data from the Pacific Northwest Seismograph Network.

The Tokeland quake ranks about midway between feeble and slight on the modified Mercalli scale. A 2.0 quake is “Felt only by a few people at best, especially on the upper floors of buildings. Delicately suspended objects may swing.” A 3.0 quake is “Felt quite noticeably by people indoors, especially on the upper floors of buildings. Many do not recognize it as an earthquake. Standing motor cars may rock slightly. Vibration similar to the passing of a truck.”

Although the Pacific Northwest coast is rated as being a zone of very high seismic hazard, based on a nearby subduction zone that breaks roughly every 500 years, smaller quakes do occur from time to time. Earlier this month, a 2.1 quake was reported between Naselle and Chinook.

Breaks in the subduction zone result in quakes of force 9 or higher. A 9.0 temblor is defined as “Ruinous: General panic; damage considerable in specially designed structures, well designed frame structures thrown out of plumb. Damage great in substantial buildings, with partial collapse. Buildings shifted off foundations.”

Remember to immediately get as far away from and above the ocean as possible following any serious earthquake to escape the series of tsunamis that may follow.