QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.3ml

Earthquake near Everett, WA

No earthquake was likely felt in Everett in the 24 hours to 6:46 pm PST (02:46 UTC). The last one was M 4.2, 75 km (47 mi) SSW, at 2:05 pm PDT on 29 September 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 9,329 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Everett

This page: a magnitude 2.3 earthquake was recorded 31 km (19 mi) west-northwest of Everett, WA, at 4:39 pm PST on 8 December 2016 (00:39 UTC), 56 km deep.

USGS: 6 km E of Marrowstone, Washington

52 km (33 mi) NNW of Seattle, WA · 33 km (20 mi) WNW of Everett, WA

4:39 pm PST, Dec 8, 2016 · · 56 km deep · released about 79 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Island County 12 kmKitsap County 47 kmSan Juan County 62 kmSnohomish County 63 kmJefferson County 74 kmSkagit County 76 kmKing County 85 kmMason County 89 kmClallam 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
4:39 pm PST on 8 December 2016 ()
Where
31 km (19 mi) west-northwest of Everett, WA · earthquakes near Everett
Magnitude
M 2.3 (ml)
Depth
56 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Island County, 12 km NNW
Nearest mapped fault
Southern Whidbey Island fault, under 1 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 3623 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 Everett, 31 km away, the estimate is intensity I (not felt). 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: Freeland, Port Townsend, Port Hadlock-Irondale, Camano, Langley, Port Ludlow.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 79 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 190,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 130,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 12× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.3 about 79 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. 5.3 Eastern Olympic Peninsula, Washington · 41 km SW of this epicentre
  2. 5.0 4 km ENE of Machias, Washington · 46 km E of this epicentre
  3. 5.0 6 km W of Conway, Washington · 33 km NNE 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 48.0575, -122.6063. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Island County, WA 12 km (8 mi) NNW earthquakes near Island County
Kitsap County, WA 47 km (29 mi) S earthquakes near Kitsap County
San Juan County, WA 62 km (39 mi) NW earthquakes near San Juan County
Snohomish County, WA 63 km (39 mi) E earthquakes near Snohomish County
Jefferson County, WA 74 km (46 mi) WSW earthquakes near Jefferson County
Skagit County, WA 76 km (47 mi) NE earthquakes near Skagit County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.6 2 km SW of Ault Field, Washington
  2. 1.8 1 km SSW of Esperance, Washington
  3. 1.9 5 km S of Port Ludlow, Washington
  4. 2.5 0 km S of Esperance, Washington
  5. 1.9 7 km SSW of Clinton, Washington
  6. 1.9 5 km NW of Freeland, Washington
  7. 1.9 1 km NE of Suquamish, Washington
  8. 2.3 6 km W of Lake Cavanaugh, Washington
  9. 1.6 2 km W of Coupeville, Washington
  10. 1.6 3 km WSW of West Lake Stevens, Washington
  11. 1.8 3 km NW of Cottage Lake, Washington
  12. 1.5 3 km SSE of Quilcene, Washington
  13. 2.2 4 km E of Silvana, Washington
  14. 1.7 1 km NNE of Lynnwood, Washington
  15. 1.7 5 km ESE of Camano, 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.