Aftershocks follow 4.2 earthquake near Gig Harbor

Did you feel it? On September 29th, thousands of people rushed to social media to talk about an earthquake near Gig Harbor. It turns out it was followed by even more shaking that many people didn't even notice. Fox 13's Lauren Donovan shows us what is revealing about what's happening beneath our feet ahead of this week's earthquake preparedness drill. Roughly 10,000 Washingtonians reported feeling the 4.2 magnitude quake, but in the two weeks since it happened, what have seismologists actually learned about it? Every earthquake like this lights up, in a sense, for us a little spot near its crust that tells us just a little bit more about the patterns of earthquakes and the faults in our region. Harold Tobin, director of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, tells me he and the seismologist over at the University of Washington have been reviewing their findings ever since. Now, one of the questions that came up right away is, is this tied to a fault at the surface that we know, like the Tacoma Fault? Though the quake was near the Tacoma Fault, Tobin tells me it started 18 miles underground below it. And as for why you didn't get a warning on your phone. It turns out that for everyone to get an alert through the Amber Alert style broadcast to your phone, it would have to be magnitude five. That said, at least four aftershocks followed in the next few days, all too small to feel. We've had thousands of earthquakes we've recorded just in 2026 alone. Now, the vast majority of them are too small for people to feel, 4.2, definitely a wake up call. Now October 15th, we have the great shakeout drill coming, a chance for people to practice what to do, just like we do with a fire drill. Expect shaking, drop cover, hold on. 1.4 million people here in Washington are registered to participate this Thursday at 10.15 in the morning. Tobin says it's especially important for people too young to remember the Nisqually quake. Most people, especially younger folks, haven't really felt an earthquake in our region. And for those of us who've forgotten what tremors are truly capable of, time to drop, cover and hold. Cascade, this is an earthquake drill. Reporting in Seattle, Lauren Donovan, FOX 13 News.