By Kate Mather, The Oregonian 

The U.S. Geological Survey reported a 6.0-magnitude earthquake off the Oregon Coast this evening but said no tsunami was expected.

The quake, which struck about 159 miles west of Coos Bay, was measured at 7:31 p.m., the USGS said. Initial reports indicated it hit at a depth of 6.2 miles.

The National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colo., says a magnitude 6.0 quake off the Oregon coast caused no reported damage and only a smattering of reports from people who felt it as a weak jolt.

Within about an hour, the information center’s website recorded 39 reports of people who reported feeling the quake. Most were in northern California and southern Oregon and characterized it was “weak” or “barely felt.”

U.S. Geological Survey geophysicist Dale Grant said in a telephone interview the quake occurred in a seismically active area and called it “not uncommon at all.”

“These are the ones we like — nobody gets hurt and there’s no damage,” he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.    

— Kate Mather

from:    http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2012/02/60-magnitude_earthquake_report.html