Oregon earthquake: Magnitude 6.2 offshore quake shakes Portland

A tsunami warning is not being issued for the surrounding area

A still from an interactive map provided by The United States Geological Survey shows where the 6.2 magnitude earthquake occurred off the coast of Oregon 22 August 2018 (The United States Geological Survey)

A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.2 has hit off the coast of Oregon.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS) said the quake occurred just after 1:30 a.m. local time over 170 miles west of Coos Bay and nearly 220 miles southwest of Portland. Still, residents of the city reported feeling the tremor. according to Robert Sanders of the USGS.

There are no reports of damage or injury and a tsunami warning has not been issued for the surrounding areas. The quake was located at a depth of about six miles.

About two hours after the initial quake occurred, an aftershock with a preliminary magnitude of 3.5 struck the area.

The area where the quake occurred on Wednesday morning is considered a seismically active zone.

Local residents in British Columbia and the west coast of North America have long feared of "the Big One" — a potential natural disaster in which an earthquake with a magnitude of 9.0 or greater strikes the region.

Oregon residents posted videos to social media showing the impact the earthquake had, causing lights and infrastructure to shake in the town of Bandon.

Meanwhile, international agencies were alerting people to the massive earthquake on Wednesday, including Australia's Bureau of Meteorology, which did not issue a tsunami threat for the nation.

Additional reporting by the Associated Press