QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.8ml

Earthquake near White Center, WA

Yes. A magnitude 1.8 earthquake was recorded 4 km (2 mi) E of White Center, WA, at 4:26 am PDT on 19 May 2016 (11:26 UTC), 28 km deep.

This was on 19 May 2016. The latest near White Center: M 4.2 on 29 September 2026.

USGS: 3 km E of White Center, Washington

11 km (7 mi) SSE of Seattle, WA · 6 km (4 mi) NNE of Burien, WA

4:26 am PDT, May 19, 2016 · · 28 km deep · released about 16 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near White Center Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Kitsap County 29 kmKing County 36 kmPierce County 54 kmMason County 68 kmSnohomish County 72 kmIsland County 76 kmThurston County 76 kmJefferson County 97 kmLewis County 105 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
4:26 am PDT on 19 May 2016 ()
Where
4 km (2 mi) E of White Center, WA · earthquakes near White Center
Magnitude
M 1.8 (ml)
Depth
28 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Kitsap County, 29 km WNW
Nearest mapped fault
Seattle 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 White Center, 4 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: Boulevard Park, Riverton, Columbia City, Bryn Mawr-Skyway, Tukwila, Burien.

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 5.8 970,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 680,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 61× 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 5 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.7 1 km ENE of Dash Point, Washington · 23 km SSW of this epicentre
  2. 6.1 Puget Sound region, Washington · 36 km WSW of this epicentre
  3. 5.4 8 km NNE of Lake Marcel-Stillwater, Washington · 42 km NE of this epicentre
  4. 5.2 9 km NE of Lake Marcel-Stillwater, Washington · 44 km NE of this epicentre
  5. 5.0 3 km WSW of Des Moines, Washington · 16 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 47.5222, -122.3062. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Kitsap County, WA 29 km (18 mi) WNW earthquakes near Kitsap County
King County, WA 36 km (22 mi) E earthquakes near King County
Pierce County, WA 54 km (33 mi) SSE earthquakes near Pierce County
Mason County, WA 68 km (42 mi) WSW earthquakes near Mason County
Snohomish County, WA 72 km (45 mi) NE earthquakes near Snohomish County
Island County, WA 76 km (47 mi) NNW earthquakes near Island 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. 2.1 6 km N of Kingston, 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. 1.8 3 km ESE of Indianola, Washington
  7. 2.6 1 km NW of Wauna, Washington
  8. 2.6 3 km SSE of Fircrest, Washington
  9. 1.6 5 km W of Enumclaw, Washington
  10. 1.6 4 km E of Issaquah, Washington
  11. 1.6 9 km NNE of Lake Marcel-Stillwater, Washington
  12. 1.8 0 km NE of Lake Marcel-Stillwater, Washington
  13. 1.8 5 km NNE of Belfair, Washington
  14. 1.5 1 km NE of Maple Valley, Washington
  15. 2.0 3 km SW of Gorst, 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.