QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0ml

Earthquake near Waller, WA

No earthquake was likely felt in Waller in the 24 hours to 8:51 am PST (16:51 UTC). The last one was M 4.2, 35 km (22 mi) NW, at 2:05 pm PDT on 29 September 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 9,329 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Waller

This page: a magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded 2 km (1 mi) west-northwest of Waller, WA, at 7:50 pm PDT on 15 April 2016 (02:50 UTC), 7.3 km deep.

USGS: 2 km WNW of Waller, Washington

7 km (4 mi) SE of Tacoma, WA

7:50 pm PDT, Apr 15, 2016 · · 7.3 km deep · released about 30 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Waller Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Pierce County 25 kmThurston County 45 kmKitsap County 52 kmKing County 53 kmMason County 61 kmLewis County 70 kmSnohomish County 105 kmIsland County 108 kmJefferson County 108 km
Distance rings around the epicentre, with the nearest towns at their true direction and later quakes as coloured dots. Not a shaking map — see the USGS ShakeMap for that.
When
7:50 pm PDT on 15 April 2016 ()
Where
2 km (1 mi) west-northwest of Waller, WA · earthquakes near Waller
Magnitude
M 2.0 (ml)
Depth
7.3 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Pierce County, 25 km SE
Nearest mapped fault
Tacoma fault, 4 km from its surface trace — near is not the same as on
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 600 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 14 km (9 mi) from the epicentre. In Waller, 2 km away, the estimate is intensity II (weak). Estimated from magnitude, depth and distance with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses; felt reports, where there are any, are the measurement.

Likely felt in: Tacoma 6 km, intensity II · Parkland 7 km, intensity II · Puyallup 8 km, intensity II · Lakewood 10 km, intensity II · South Hill 12 km, intensity II · University Place 12 km, intensity II · Federal Way 14 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 30 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 500,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 350,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 32× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 30 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 6 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.8 The 2001 Nisqually, Washington Earthquake · 26 km WSW of this epicentre
  2. 6.7 4 km WNW of Roy, Washington · 26 km SW of this epicentre
  3. 6.7 1 km ENE of Dash Point, Washington · 13 km N of this epicentre
  4. 6.1 Puget Sound region, Washington · 35 km NW of this epicentre
  5. 5.8 Puget Sound area, Washington · 39 km WNW 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 47.2078, -122.3953. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Pierce County, WA 25 km (16 mi) SE earthquakes near Pierce County
Thurston County, WA 45 km (28 mi) SW earthquakes near Thurston County
Kitsap County, WA 52 km (32 mi) NNW earthquakes near Kitsap County
King County, WA 53 km (33 mi) NE earthquakes near King County
Mason County, WA 61 km (38 mi) WNW earthquakes near Mason County
Lewis County, WA 70 km (43 mi) S earthquakes near Lewis County

Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.

Aftershocks so far

48 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.

  1. 1.8 3 km NNE of East Renton Highlands, Washington
  2. 1.6 3 km SW of Seattle, Washington
  3. 1.5 6 km SW of Des Moines, Washington
  4. 1.8 6 km SW of Des Moines, Washington
  5. 1.5 3 km WNW of Wauna, Washington
  6. 2.6 1 km NW of Wauna, Washington
  7. 2.6 3 km SSE of Fircrest, Washington
  8. 1.6 5 km W of Enumclaw, Washington
  9. 1.6 4 km E of Issaquah, Washington
  10. 1.8 5 km NNE of Belfair, Washington
  11. 1.5 1 km NE of Maple Valley, Washington
  12. 2.0 3 km SW of Gorst, Washington
  13. 1.5 2 km WNW of Bethel, Washington
  14. 1.9 3 km W of Fife, Washington
  15. 2.1 2 km NNW of Boulevard Park, Washington

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

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.