Earthquakes in Benton County, Washington
The most recent earthquake of M2.5 or more near Benton County was M 2.8, 5 km ESE of Benton City, Washington, 7 km (5 mi) E of the centre of Benton County, at 3:32 pm PST on 2 February 2026. 1 person reported feeling it to USGS. The estimated shaking at the centre of Benton County was intensity III (weak), felt by some people at rest indoors. 12 smaller earthquakes have been recorded near Benton County since.
No earthquake of M1.5 or more was recorded within 50 km (31 mi) of the centre of Benton County in the last 24 hours.
- Last 24 hours
- 0
- Last 7 days
- 0
- Last 30 days
- 0 · an average 30 days here since 2016: 1.7
- Last 12 months
- 16 · largest M 2.8 on 2 February 2026
- Since 2016
- 224 earthquakes of M1.5 or more
- Largest since 2016
- M 2.9 on 22 September 2024, 12 km SE of Desert Aire, Washington
- Nearest mapped fault
- Wallula fault system, 31 km from the centre to its surface trace
Latest quake, 24 hours and 7 days: the QuakeIndex database, which reads USGS every 30 seconds, read at ; 30 days and 12 months: the QuakeIndex catalogue, counted to · earthquakes of M1.5 or more within 50 km (31 mi) of the centre of Benton County · shaking is estimated for the centre with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses
Quiet QuakeIndex 0 / 100
0 quakes of M1.5 or larger in the last 7 days within 50 km. Normal for here is 0 to 1 in a week.
Compared against Benton County, Washington's own 10 years · USGS catalogue · updated
If you felt one
- Was that an earthquake? — checks what was recorded near you in the last hour
- Report what you felt to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us, and they are what produces the intensity maps
- Expect aftershocks, and be ready to Drop, Cover, and Hold On if you feel one; if you are in a damaged building, go outside and move away from it (Ready.gov, FEMA; what to do during and after an earthquake)
- Near the coast, go inland or to higher ground as soon as strong shaking stops (Ready.gov); official warnings are on Tsunami.gov
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings or forecasts. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert and the MyShake app.
The last 30 days
Show these earthquakes on your own site: a free card with this strip and the latest quakes near Benton County, Washington, for a local news site, school or neighborhood page.
Live · last 7 days
Latest earthquakes within 50 km
None within 50 km in the latest snapshot we hold; the full 7 days load from USGS as this page opens.
Source USGS · snapshot of
The last 7 days on the map
Open the full map — zoom anywhere, or find your own location →
The centre is 46.228, -119.517, the Census internal point of Benton County, Washington from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Activity on this page is measured within 50 km of it — the dashed circle.
Largest on record nearby
The strongest shaking this record implies at the centre of Benton County, Washington is intensity III (weak), from the M 2.8 of 2026, 7 km away. At that level a few people indoors notice it; most do not.
| Magnitude | When | Where | Shaking here (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| M 2.9 | 12 km SE of Desert Aire, Washington · felt by 18 | II · Weak | |
| M 2.8 | 4 km S of Richland, Washington · felt by 354 | II · Weak | |
| M 2.8 | 5 km ESE of Benton City, Washington · felt by 1 | III · Weak | |
| M 2.5 | 9 km SE of Desert Aire, Washington · felt by 1 | II · Weak | |
| M 2.5 | 9 km SE of Desert Aire, Washington | II · Weak | |
| M 2.4 | 21 km WSW of Basin City, Washington | II · Weak | |
| M 2.4 | 12 km SE of Desert Aire, Washington | II · Weak | |
| M 2.4 | 11 km SE of Desert Aire, Washington | II · Weak |
From the QuakeIndex catalogue, built from the USGS FDSN event service · within 50 km of the centre above. Shaking is an estimate for the centre from magnitude, depth and distance, with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses (Atkinson & Wald, 2007), on the Modified Mercalli scale. Ground conditions change it locally; it is a description of the past, not a hazard rating.
Before 2016
The USGS record from 1900 to 2015 lists no earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km of the centre of Benton County, Washington.
USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900 to 2015. Epicentres of early earthquakes are estimates. This is the record, not a forecast.
Nearest mapped faults
- Wallula fault system, 31 km from the centre of Benton County, Washington to its surface trace
USGS Quaternary Fault and Fold Database, within 50 km. Near is not the same as on, and faults with no surface trace are not in it.
Be ready
Earthquakes cannot be predicted, here or anywhere, so the useful step is the one taken beforehand. The advice below is from the agencies responsible for it.
- Ready.gov: earthquakes (FEMA) — what to do before, during and after, including Drop, Cover, and Hold On
- Build a kit (FEMA) — water, food and supplies for several days; our summary
- USGS: preparedness — the hazard behind the advice, from the agency that records every quake on this page
- The Great ShakeOut — the yearly earthquake drill, with material for homes, schools and workplaces
- ShakeAlert covers Benton County, Washington: alerts reach phones through Wireless Emergency Alerts and the MyShake app, seconds before shaking arrives
- Tsunami.gov (NOAA) — the official tsunami warnings for the coast; a quake page here never stands in for one