Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 1.9ml
Earthquake near Portland, OR
USGS: 2 km NNW of Portland, Oregon
in Portland, OR
- When
- 6:04 am PST on 18 January 2016 ()
- Where
- 3 km (2 mi) NNW of Portland, OR · earthquakes near Portland
- Magnitude
- M 1.9 (ml)
- Depth
- 15 km below the surface
- Felt
- 4 reports · strongest reported intensity III
- Nearest
- Multnomah County, 21 km E
- Status
- Reviewed by a seismologist
USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1523 days ago
A magnitude 1.9 earthquake was recorded 3 km (2 mi) NNW of Portland, OR, at 6:04 am PST on 18 January 2016 (14:04 UTC). 4 people have reported feeling it to USGS. This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.
Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: West Haven-Sylvan, North Portland, Raleigh Hills, Cedar Hills, Cedar Mill, Vancouver.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 23 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.9 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 660,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 470,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 42× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 1.9 about 23 lb of TNT
Energy from the Gutenberg–Richter relation (log10E = 1.5M + 4.8), rounded to two figures; bar length is magnitude, which is already a logarithm of energy. Magnitudes of past earthquakes from the USGS catalogue.
For this area
No earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded within 50 km since our catalogue begins in 2016.
Before 2016, the USGS record lists 2 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:
- 5.2 5 km E of Bridgeton, Oregon · 9 km NE of this epicentre
- 5.0 3 km SW of Portland, Oregon · 5 km SSW of this epicentre
Since 2016: the QuakeIndex catalogue (US, M1.5+), built from the USGS FDSN event service. Before 2016: USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900. Distances are between epicentres. This is the record, not a forecast.
Where
Epicentre 45.5460, -122.6848. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multnomah County, OR | 21 km (13 mi) | E | earthquakes near Multnomah County |
| Clark County, WA | 29 km (18 mi) | NNE | earthquakes near Clark County |
| Washington County, OR | 32 km (20 mi) | W | earthquakes near Washington County |
| Columbia County, OR | 54 km (33 mi) | NW | earthquakes near Columbia County |
| Clackamas County, OR | 57 km (36 mi) | SE | earthquakes near Clackamas County |
| Yamhill County, OR | 59 km (37 mi) | WSW | earthquakes near Yamhill County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
49 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 1.6 4 km SSW of Yacolt, Washington
- 2.0 6 km WNW of Warren, Oregon
- 1.5 5 km WSW of Yacolt, Washington
- 1.9 2 km WSW of Dundee, Oregon
- 1.6 Washington-Oregon border region
- 1.8 4 km WNW of Saint Helens, Oregon
- 1.6 3 km NE of Amboy, Washington
- 2.3 3 km W of Molalla, Oregon
- 2.1 2 km ENE of Lewisville, Washington
- 1.6 5 km NW of North Portland, Oregon
- 1.5 4 km NW of King City, Oregon
- 1.8 8 km ESE of Molalla, Oregon
- 1.9 3 km WSW of Molalla, Oregon
- 1.7 Washington-Oregon border region
- 1.7 3 km NNW of North Portland, Oregon
Counted from the QuakeIndex database, which ingests the USGS feed every 30 seconds · as of . QuakeIndex does not forecast aftershocks. When USGS issues an operational aftershock forecast it appears on the USGS event page.
On USGS
- The official USGS event page — the source of record for every value above
- Did you feel it? Report it to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us
- ShakeMap for this event, when USGS has produced one
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.