QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.8ml

Earthquake near Key Center, WA

Yes. A magnitude 1.8 earthquake was recorded 3 km (2 mi) NE of Key Center, WA, at 11:35 pm PDT on 13 May 2016 (06:35 UTC), 23 km deep.

This was on 13 May 2016. The latest near Key Center: M 4.2 on 29 September 2026.

USGS: 3 km NE of Key Center, Washington

39 km (24 mi) SW of Seattle, WA · 22 km (14 mi) WNW of Tacoma, WA

11:35 pm PDT, May 13, 2016 · · 23 km deep · released about 16 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Key Center Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Kitsap County 31 kmMason County 35 kmThurston County 48 kmPierce County 54 kmKing County 67 kmJefferson County 79 kmGrays Harbor County 89 kmIsland County 89 kmLewis County 90 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
11:35 pm PDT on 13 May 2016 ()
Where
3 km (2 mi) NE of Key Center, WA · earthquakes near Key Center
Magnitude
M 1.8 (ml)
Depth
23 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Kitsap County, 31 km N
Nearest mapped fault
Tacoma fault, under 1 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 569 days ago

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

At this magnitude and depth it was probably too small to be felt, even directly above it. In Key Center, 3 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Rosedale, Wauna, Purdy, Burley, Canterwood, Allyn.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 16 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 930,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 660,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 59× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.8 about 16 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 · 24 km S of this epicentre
  2. 6.7 4 km WNW of Roy, Washington · 40 km SSE of this epicentre
  3. 6.7 1 km ENE of Dash Point, Washington · 23 km E of this epicentre
  4. 6.1 Puget Sound region, Washington · 6 km NW of this epicentre
  5. 5.8 Puget Sound area, Washington · 17 km WSW 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 47.3608, -122.7100. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Kitsap County, WA 31 km (19 mi) N earthquakes near Kitsap County
Mason County, WA 35 km (22 mi) W earthquakes near Mason County
Thurston County, WA 48 km (30 mi) S earthquakes near Thurston County
Pierce County, WA 54 km (34 mi) SE earthquakes near Pierce County
King County, WA 67 km (42 mi) ENE earthquakes near King County
Jefferson County, WA 79 km (49 mi) NW earthquakes near Jefferson County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.3 2 km ESE of Enetai, Washington
  2. 1.6 1 km ESE of Enetai, Washington
  3. 1.5 1 km SE of Enetai, Washington
  4. 1.5 1 km E of Enetai, Washington
  5. 1.5 2 km E of Enetai, Washington
  6. 2.0 0 km SE of Enetai, Washington
  7. 1.5 0 km E of Enetai, Washington
  8. 3.3 1 km S of Enetai, Washington
  9. 1.6 3 km SW of Seattle, Washington
  10. 1.6 5 km WNW of Shelton, Washington
  11. 1.5 6 km SW of Des Moines, Washington
  12. 1.8 6 km SW of Des Moines, Washington
  13. 1.5 3 km WNW of Wauna, Washington
  14. 2.0 13 km WNW of Belfair, Washington
  15. 4.1 11 km NE of Hoodsport, 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.