QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6ml

Earthquake near Enumclaw, WA

Yes. A magnitude 1.6 earthquake was recorded 6 km (4 mi) W of Enumclaw, WA, at 6:55 pm PST on 1 January 2017 (02:55 UTC), 5.5 km deep.

This was on 1 January 2017. The latest near Enumclaw: M 2.5 on 24 October 2025.

USGS: 5 km W of Enumclaw, Washington

50 km (31 mi) SSE of Seattle, WA · 15 km (9 mi) SE of Auburn, WA

6:55 pm PST, Jan 1, 2017 · · 5.5 km deep · released about 7.6 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Enumclaw Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Pierce County 19 kmKing County 36 kmKitsap County 65 kmThurston County 65 kmLewis County 74 kmMason County 85 kmSnohomish County 97 kmKittitas County 106 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
6:55 pm PST on 1 January 2017 ()
Where
6 km (4 mi) W of Enumclaw, WA · earthquakes near Enumclaw
Magnitude
M 1.6 (ml)
Depth
5.5 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Pierce County, 19 km SSW
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 3570 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 10 km (6 mi) from the epicentre. In Enumclaw, 6 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.

Likely felt in: Enumclaw 6 km, intensity II · Bonney Lake 10 km, intensity II · Prairie Ridge 10 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 7.6 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.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,000,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,400,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 130× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 7.6 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 3 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.7 4 km WNW of Roy, Washington · 45 km WSW of this epicentre
  2. 6.7 1 km ENE of Dash Point, Washington · 29 km WNW of this epicentre
  3. 5.0 3 km WSW of Des Moines, Washington · 30 km NW 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 47.2077, -122.0680. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Pierce County, WA 19 km (12 mi) SSW earthquakes near Pierce County
King County, WA 36 km (22 mi) NNE earthquakes near King County
Kitsap County, WA 65 km (40 mi) NW earthquakes near Kitsap County
Thurston County, WA 65 km (40 mi) WSW earthquakes near Thurston County
Lewis County, WA 74 km (46 mi) SSW earthquakes near Lewis County
Mason County, WA 85 km (53 mi) W earthquakes near Mason County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.5 11 km W of Greenwater, Washington
  2. 1.5 1 km W of Seattle, Washington
  3. 1.6 3 km SSW of Kapowsin, Washington
  4. 2.1 0 km NNW of Des Moines, Washington
  5. 1.6 12 km W of Greenwater, Washington
  6. 1.9 1 km W of Bonney Lake, Washington
  7. 1.8 3 km NNE of Klahanie, Washington
  8. 1.8 3 km NNE of East Renton Highlands, Washington
  9. 1.6 3 km SW of Seattle, Washington
  10. 1.5 6 km SW of Des Moines, Washington
  11. 1.8 6 km SW of Des Moines, Washington
  12. 2.2 13 km NNE of Ashford, Washington
  13. 1.6 23 km ENE of Ashford, Washington
  14. 1.7 8 km ENE of Ashford, Washington
  15. 1.9 13 km ESE of Riverbend, 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.