© Dimas Ardian, Getty Images
A magnitude 5.0 quake occurred in the Pacific Ocean nearly 100 miles off the coast of Gold Beach, Oregon, around 10:01 p.m. Saturday. A magnitude 4.6 quake rumbled nearly 100 miles off the coast of Brookings, Oregon, nearly five hours later.
The first quake occurred about 6.2 miles down in the ocean floor. The second earthquake occurred further down, about 10 miles beneath the Earth's surface.
Neither of the quakes prompted tsunami advisories for coastal communities, according to the National Weather Service's Tsunami.gov.
While both of these quakes were moderate in strength, news of an earthquake near Oregon is always sure to spark interest as the scientific community has become more aware of a pending Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake. The fault, which lies just off the coast of the Pacific Northwest, is long overdue for a massive earthquake, according to experts. Many predict it could be as strong as a magnitude 9.0 when it eventually hits (this video explains the significance of that number).
Comment: See also: Shallow 5.0 magnitude earthquake hits off the coast of Gold Beach, Oregon