Every recorded earthquake within 30 km
Earthquakes near University Place, WA
No earthquake was likely felt in University Place in the 24 hours to 1:40 am PDT (08:40 UTC). The last one was M 4.2, 22 km (14 mi) NW, at 2:05 pm PDT on 29 September 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 9,329 felt reports to USGS.
M 4.2
Latest: 2:05 pm PDT on 29 September 2026 · 22 km (14 mi) NW of University Place, WA
The most recent earthquake of M2.5 or more near University Place was M 4.2, 22 km (14 mi) NW of University Place, WA, at 2:05 pm PDT on 29 September 2026, 28 km deep. 9,329 people reported feeling it to USGS. The estimated shaking in University Place was intensity III (weak), felt by some people at rest indoors. 2 smaller earthquakes have been recorded near University Place since; the newest is first in the list below.
No earthquake of M1.5 or more was recorded within 30 km (19 mi) of University Place in the last 24 hours.
- Last 24 hours
- 0
- Last 7 days
- 0
- Last 30 days
- 3 · an average 30 days here since 2016: 1.3
- Last 12 months
- 16 · largest M 4.2 on 29 September 2026
- Since 2016
- 177 earthquakes of M1.5 or more within 30 km
- Largest since 2016
- M 4.2 on 29 September 2026, 22 km (14 mi) NW of University Place, WA
- Reported felt
- 61 of them have felt reports to USGS
- Nearest mapped fault
- Tacoma fault, 8 km from its surface trace
USGS · feed checked · newest earthquake in our database · this page · counts are earthquakes of M1.5 or more within 30 km (19 mi) of the town centre; shaking is estimated for the town centre with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses
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
- Earthquakes in Washington — with the state's activity score
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings or forecasts. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert and the MyShake app.
The last 30 days
The latest 50
- 1.6 22 km (14 mi) NNW of University Place, WA
- 1.9 23 km (14 mi) NNW of University Place, WA · felt by 3
- 4.2 22 km (14 mi) NW of University Place, WA · felt by 9,329
- 1.9 30 km (19 mi) E of University Place, WA
- 2.2 18 km (11 mi) NNW of University Place, WA · felt by 1
- 1.7 10 km (6 mi) E of University Place, WA
- 1.6 22 km (14 mi) WNW of University Place, WA
- 2.8 19 km (12 mi) NW of University Place, WA · felt by 63
- 1.6 21 km (13 mi) ENE of University Place, WA
- 1.7 14 km (9 mi) NNE of University Place, WA
- 2.9 19 km (12 mi) WNW of University Place, WA · felt by 38
- 1.5 11 km (7 mi) NE of University Place, WA · felt by 1
- 2.1 29 km (18 mi) NNW of University Place, WA
- 1.8 28 km (17 mi) NNW of University Place, WA
- 1.6 26 km (16 mi) W of University Place, WA
- 1.5 18 km (11 mi) NE of University Place, WA
- 1.6 26 km (16 mi) W of University Place, WA
- 1.5 19 km (12 mi) NE of University Place, WA
- 2.1 29 km (18 mi) NNE of University Place, WA
- 2.1 14 km (9 mi) WNW of University Place, WA
- 1.7 17 km (10 mi) NE of University Place, WA
- 1.6 29 km (18 mi) NNE of University Place, WA
- 1.8 18 km (11 mi) ENE of University Place, WA · felt by 1
- 1.6 28 km (18 mi) NNW of University Place, WA
- 3.2 17 km (11 mi) NNE of University Place, WA · felt by 1,291
- 2.3 25 km (16 mi) ENE of University Place, WA · felt by 6
- 1.9 6 km (4 mi) ESE of University Place, WA · felt by 1
- 1.7 12 km (7 mi) SE of University Place, WA · felt by 1
- 1.6 29 km (18 mi) NNE of University Place, WA
- 1.7 29 km (18 mi) NNE of University Place, WA
- 1.9 16 km (10 mi) E of University Place, WA · felt by 1
- 1.8 28 km (17 mi) N of University Place, WA
- 2.5 11 km (7 mi) WNW of University Place, WA
- 2.3 15 km (9 mi) ESE of University Place, WA · felt by 1
- 2.0 8 km (5 mi) NE of University Place, WA
- 1.5 15 km (10 mi) NNE of University Place, WA
- 1.8 16 km (10 mi) NNE of University Place, WA · felt by 3
- 2.0 13 km (8 mi) NE of University Place, WA
- 2.6 29 km (18 mi) NNE of University Place, WA · felt by 5
- 1.7 25 km (15 mi) N of University Place, WA · felt by 5
- 3.1 22 km (14 mi) NNW of University Place, WA · felt by 214
- 2.1 26 km (16 mi) W of University Place, WA
- 1.5 21 km (13 mi) NE of University Place, WA
- 1.5 22 km (14 mi) E of University Place, WA
- 1.6 20 km (13 mi) NNW of University Place, WA
- 1.7 24 km (15 mi) WNW of University Place, WA
- 1.7 12 km (8 mi) NE of University Place, WA
- 1.9 26 km (16 mi) NE of University Place, WA
- 2.0 26 km (16 mi) NE of University Place, WA
- 2.4 25 km (16 mi) NE of University Place, WA
From the QuakeIndex database, which reads the USGS feed every 30 seconds and holds the USGS catalogue for the US from 2016 (M1.5+). Times are University Place time. Distances are from the town centre. Quakes USGS named after University Place are listed even when they are further out.
Show these earthquakes on your own site: a free card with the latest quakes near University Place, for a local news site, school or neighborhood page.
On the map
The white circle is University Place; dots are the 50 most recent earthquakes within 30 km. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Estimated shaking in University Place
The strongest shaking in University Place from a quake since 2016 is estimated at intensity III (weak), from the M 4.2 on 29 September 2026, 22 km away. Intensity II and III are felt by some people at rest indoors; IV by most people indoors; V and above wakes sleepers and moves objects.
| Magnitude | When | Distance | Shaking in University Place (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| M 4.2 | 22 km | III · Weak · felt by 9,329 | |
| M 2.6 | 5 km | II · Weak · felt by 25 | |
| M 3.2 | 17 km | II · Weak · felt by 1,291 | |
| M 2.6 | 19 km | II · Weak · felt by 105 | |
| M 3.0 | 21 km | II · Weak · felt by 18 |
An estimate for the town centre from magnitude, depth and distance, with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses (Atkinson & Wald, 2007), on the Modified Mercalli scale. All 5 reach intensity II or more in town, where people at rest start to notice. Ground conditions change it street by street. It describes the past, not a hazard.
Before 2016
The USGS record since 1900 lists 6 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km of University Place; the five largest:
- 6.8 The 2001 Nisqually, Washington Earthquake · 16 km SW of University Place
- 6.7 4 km WNW of Roy, Washington · 25 km S of University Place
- 6.7 1 km ENE of Dash Point, Washington · 15 km NE of University Place
- 6.1 Puget Sound region, Washington · 24 km NW of University Place
- 5.8 Puget Sound area, Washington · 27 km W of University Place
USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900 to 2015. This is the record, not a forecast.
Nearest mapped faults
- Tacoma fault, 8 km from its surface trace
- Olympia structure, 29 km from its surface trace
- Seattle fault, 34 km from its surface trace
USGS Quaternary Fault and Fold Database. Near is not the same as on.
Nearby towns
Lakewood 7 km · Tacoma 8 km · Artondale 9 km · Parkland 13 km
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 University Place, WA: 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
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings or forecasts. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert and the MyShake app.