Some residents of the South Okanagan may have been shaken out of bed a little early today after a small earthquake rocked the area early Friday morning.
There have been no reports of damage so far from the quake, which occurred at 5:09 a.m., and was centred about 150 kms. south of Penticton, near the town of Riverside in Washington State.
Earthquake Canada, part of the federal Ministry of Natural Resources, is characterizing the quake as a small one, at a magnitude of 4.3. The U.S. Geological Service is rating it slightly higher, at 4.6.
The South Okanagan usually experiences about four earthquakes annually, though most are too small to notice. On July 11, there was a 2.8 magnitude quake near Oroville, Washington and on May 18, a 3.0 magnitude quake occurred near Princeton.
The last earthquake of a similar size occurred on Aug. 17, 2002, when a 4.5 magnitude quake struck near Highway 97C, about 70 kms. from Penticton.
