Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist
M 1.6ml
Earthquake near Hobart, WA
Yes. A magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 5 km (3 mi) E of Hobart, WA, at 10:27 am PDT on 31 May 2016 (17:27 UTC), 6.3 km deep.
This was on 31 May 2016. The latest near Hobart: M 2.5 on 26 June 2026.
USGS: 4 km E of Hobart, Washington
39 km (24 mi) ESE of Seattle, WA · 21 km (13 mi) SSE of Sammamish, WA
- When
- 10:27 am PDT on 31 May 2016 ()
- Where
- 5 km (3 mi) E of Hobart, WA · earthquakes near Hobart
- Magnitude
- M 1.6 (ml)
- Depth
- 6.3 km below the surface
- Felt
- no reports yet
- Nearest
- King County, 9 km NE
- Nearest mapped fault
- Rattlesnake Mountain fault, 3 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, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 9 km (6 mi) from the epicentre. In Hobart, 5 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: Mirrormont, Ravensdale, Maple Valley, Wilderness Rim, North Bend, Riverbend.
How big was it?
This earthquake released about 6.8 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.6 would have released about 32 times as much.
- Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,200,000× the energy of this one
- Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,600,000× the energy of this one
- Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 140× the energy of this one
- This earthquake M 1.6 about 6.8 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 4 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:
- 6.7 1 km ENE of Dash Point, Washington · 39 km WSW of this epicentre
- 5.4 8 km NNE of Lake Marcel-Stillwater, Washington · 37 km N of this epicentre
- 5.2 9 km NE of Lake Marcel-Stillwater, Washington · 36 km N of this epicentre
- 5.0 3 km WSW of Des Moines, Washington · 34 km W 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 47.4278, -121.9123. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Nearby places
| Place | Distance | Direction from the epicentre | |
|---|---|---|---|
| King County, WA | 9 km (6 mi) | NE | earthquakes near King County |
| Pierce County, WA | 46 km (28 mi) | SSW | earthquakes near Pierce County |
| Kitsap County, WA | 60 km (37 mi) | WNW | earthquakes near Kitsap County |
| Snohomish County, WA | 71 km (44 mi) | N | earthquakes near Snohomish County |
| Thurston County, WA | 88 km (55 mi) | SW | earthquakes near Thurston County |
| Mason County, WA | 95 km (59 mi) | W | earthquakes near Mason County |
Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.
Aftershocks so far
56 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.
- 1.8 11 km SSW of Snoqualmie Pass, Washington
- 1.6 3 km SW of Shoreline, Washington
- 2.2 1 km W of Bonney Lake, Washington
- 1.6 0 km NNE of Mercer Island, Washington
- 1.8 1 km SSE of Mercer Island, Washington
- 1.9 1 km NE of Alderton, Washington
- 1.6 5 km N of Seattle, Washington
- 1.9 1 km SSE of North Bend, Washington
- 1.9 10 km NE of Snoqualmie, Washington
- 1.8 3 km SE of Cathcart, Washington
- 1.8 Washington
- 1.5 11 km W of Greenwater, Washington
- 1.5 1 km W of Seattle, Washington
- 2.1 0 km NNW of Des Moines, Washington
- 1.6 12 km W of Greenwater, 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
- 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.