QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.9ml

Earthquake near Riverbend, WA

Yes. A magnitude 1.9 earthquake was recorded 14 km (8 mi) ESE of Riverbend, WA, at 8:43 am PST on 22 January 2017 (16:43 UTC), less than 1 km deep. 6 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

This was on 22 January 2017. The latest near Riverbend: M 2.5 on 26 June 2026.

USGS: 13 km ESE of Riverbend, Washington

62 km (38 mi) ESE of Seattle, WA · 39 km (24 mi) ESE of Sammamish, WA

8:43 am PST, Jan 22, 2017 · · 0.1 km deep · released about 22 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Riverbend Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N King County 20 kmPierce County 58 kmSnohomish County 73 kmKittitas County 76 kmKitsap County 83 kmChelan County 89 kmThurston County 107 kmLewis County 110 kmIsland County 116 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
8:43 am PST on 22 January 2017 ()
Where
14 km (8 mi) ESE of Riverbend, WA · earthquakes near Riverbend
Magnitude
M 1.9 (ml)
Depth
0.1 km below the surface
Felt
6 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Nearest
King County, 20 km WNW
Nearest mapped fault
Rattlesnake Mountain fault, 12 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 3464 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 15 km (9 mi) from the epicentre. In Riverbend, 14 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: Tanner, Wilderness Rim, North Bend, Snoqualmie, Fall City, Hobart.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 22 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 5.8 680,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 480,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 43× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.9 about 22 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 2 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.4 8 km NNE of Lake Marcel-Stillwater, Washington · 45 km NNW of this epicentre
  2. 5.2 9 km NE of Lake Marcel-Stillwater, Washington · 42 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 47.4083, -121.5925. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
King County, WA 20 km (13 mi) WNW earthquakes near King County
Pierce County, WA 58 km (36 mi) SW earthquakes near Pierce County
Snohomish County, WA 73 km (45 mi) N earthquakes near Snohomish County
Kittitas County, WA 76 km (47 mi) ESE earthquakes near Kittitas County
Kitsap County, WA 83 km (52 mi) WNW earthquakes near Kitsap County
Chelan County, WA 89 km (55 mi) NE earthquakes near Chelan County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.7 11 km ESE of Enumclaw, Washington
  2. 2.0 11 km ENE of Enumclaw, Washington
  3. 1.8 14 km S of Snoqualmie Pass, Washington
  4. 1.8 10 km S of Snoqualmie Pass, Washington
  5. 1.6 14 km S of Snoqualmie Pass, Washington
  6. 2.1 6 km E of Carnation, Washington
  7. 1.5 7 km ESE of Carnation, Washington
  8. 1.6 11 km S of Wilderness Rim, Washington
  9. 1.6 9 km NE of Duvall, Washington
  10. 1.6 10 km W of Greenwater, Washington
  11. 1.6 11 km W of Greenwater, Washington
  12. 2.4 5 km SSE of May Creek, Washington
  13. 1.6 12 km W of Greenwater, Washington
  14. 2.6 6 km SSW of Lake Morton-Berrydale, Washington
  15. 2.1 5 km SE of Lea Hill, 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.