QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0ml

Earthquake near Bonney Lake, WA

Yes. A magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded in Bonney Lake, WA, at 12:14 am PDT on 6 July 2016 (07:14 UTC), 17 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

This was on 6 July 2016. The latest near Bonney Lake: M 2.5 on 24 October 2025.

USGS: 1 km WSW of Bonney Lake, Washington

15 km (9 mi) S of Auburn, WA · 51 km (32 mi) SSE of Seattle, WA

12:14 am PDT, Jul 6, 2016 · · 17 km deep · released about 33 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Bonney Lake Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Pierce County 14 kmKing County 45 kmThurston County 54 kmKitsap County 62 kmLewis County 67 kmMason County 76 kmSnohomish County 103 kmCowlitz County 114 kmIsland County 115 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
12:14 am PDT on 6 July 2016 ()
Where
in Bonney Lake, WA · earthquakes near Bonney Lake
Magnitude
M 2.0 (ml)
Depth
17 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Pierce County, 14 km SSE
Nearest mapped fault
Tacoma fault, 8 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 1532 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. 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: Alderton, Sumner, McMillin, Prairie Ridge, South Hill, Puyallup.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 33 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 5.8 450,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 320,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 29× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 33 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. 6.8 The 2001 Nisqually, Washington Earthquake · 40 km W of this epicentre
  2. 6.7 4 km WNW of Roy, Washington · 35 km WSW of this epicentre
  3. 6.7 1 km ENE of Dash Point, Washington · 23 km NW of this epicentre
  4. 6.1 Puget Sound region, Washington · 49 km WNW of this epicentre
  5. 5.0 3 km WSW of Des Moines, Washington · 27 km NNW 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 47.1728, -122.2015. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Pierce County, WA 14 km (9 mi) SSE earthquakes near Pierce County
King County, WA 45 km (28 mi) NE earthquakes near King County
Thurston County, WA 54 km (34 mi) WSW earthquakes near Thurston County
Kitsap County, WA 62 km (38 mi) NNW earthquakes near Kitsap County
Lewis County, WA 67 km (42 mi) SSW earthquakes near Lewis County
Mason County, WA 76 km (47 mi) WNW earthquakes near Mason County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 12 km W of Greenwater, Washington
  2. 1.9 1 km W of Bonney Lake, Washington
  3. 1.8 3 km NNE of Klahanie, Washington
  4. 1.8 3 km NNE of East Renton Highlands, Washington
  5. 1.6 3 km SW of Seattle, Washington
  6. 1.5 6 km SW of Des Moines, Washington
  7. 1.8 6 km SW of Des Moines, Washington
  8. 2.2 13 km NNE of Ashford, Washington
  9. 1.6 23 km ENE of Ashford, Washington
  10. 1.5 3 km WNW of Wauna, Washington
  11. 2.6 1 km NW of Wauna, Washington
  12. 1.7 8 km ENE of Ashford, Washington
  13. 2.6 3 km SSE of Fircrest, Washington
  14. 1.6 5 km W of Enumclaw, Washington
  15. 1.6 4 km E of Issaquah, 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.