QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.9ml

Earthquake near Seattle, WA

Yes. A magnitude 1.9 earthquake was recorded 34 km (21 mi) WSW of Seattle, WA, at 5:31 am PDT on 30 July 2016 (12:31 UTC), 17 km deep.

This was on 30 July 2016. The latest near Seattle: M 4.2 on 29 September 2026.

USGS: 5 km W of Gorst, Washington

33 km (21 mi) WSW of Seattle, WA · 32 km (20 mi) W of Burien, WA

5:31 am PDT, Jul 30, 2016 · · 17 km deep · released about 18 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Seattle Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Kitsap County 16 kmMason County 35 kmThurston County 65 kmJefferson County 65 kmPierce County 70 kmKing County 70 kmIsland County 72 kmGrays Harbor County 91 kmSnohomish County 96 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
5:31 am PDT on 30 July 2016 ()
Where
34 km (21 mi) WSW of Seattle, WA · earthquakes near Seattle
Magnitude
M 1.9 (ml)
Depth
17 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Kitsap County, 16 km NNE
Nearest mapped fault
Seattle fault, 5 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 568 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 Seattle, 34 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: Belfair, Navy Yard City, Erlands Point-Kitsap Lake, Port Orchard, Bethel, East Port Orchard.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 18 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 840,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 600,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 53× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.9 about 18 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 · 41 km S of this epicentre
  2. 6.7 1 km ENE of Dash Point, Washington · 35 km SE of this epicentre
  3. 6.1 Puget Sound region, Washington · 13 km S of this epicentre
  4. 5.8 Puget Sound area, Washington · 28 km SSW of this epicentre
  5. 5.3 Eastern Olympic Peninsula, Washington · 36 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 47.5167, -122.7708. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Kitsap County, WA 16 km (10 mi) NNE earthquakes near Kitsap County
Mason County, WA 35 km (22 mi) WSW earthquakes near Mason County
Thurston County, WA 65 km (40 mi) S earthquakes near Thurston County
Jefferson County, WA 65 km (40 mi) WNW earthquakes near Jefferson County
Pierce County, WA 70 km (43 mi) SE earthquakes near Pierce County
King County, WA 70 km (44 mi) E earthquakes near King County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 3.4 1 km ESE of Enetai, Washington
  2. 1.9 1 km N of Parkwood, Washington
  3. 1.7 2 km ENE of Enetai, Washington
  4. 1.6 2 km E of Enetai, Washington
  5. 2.3 1 km S of Enetai, Washington
  6. 2.1 1 km ESE of Enetai, Washington
  7. 1.8 2 km ENE of Enetai, Washington
  8. 1.8 1 km S of Enetai, Washington
  9. 2.5 1 km SSE of Enetai, Washington
  10. 2.3 1 km S of Enetai, Washington
  11. 1.9 1 km SSW of Enetai, Washington
  12. 1.9 1 km SE of Enetai, Washington
  13. 2.0 1 km ESE of Enetai, Washington
  14. 1.6 2 km E of Enetai, Washington
  15. 2.3 2 km ESE of Enetai, 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.