QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.3ml

Earthquake near Morton, WA

No earthquake was likely felt in Morton in the 24 hours to 2:29 am PST (10:29 UTC). The last one was M 4.2, 100 km (62 mi) NNW, at 2:05 pm PDT on 29 September 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 9,329 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Morton

This page: a magnitude 3.3 earthquake was recorded 33 km (21 mi) southeast of Morton, WA, at 1:50 am PST on 9 December 2016 (09:50 UTC), 7.0 km deep. 9 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 33 km SE of Morton, Washington

98 km (61 mi) NNE of Portland, OR

1:50 am PST, Dec 9, 2016 · · 7.0 km deep · released about 1.5 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Morton Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Skamania County 32 kmLewis County 40 kmCowlitz County 51 kmClark County 69 kmPierce County 83 kmMultnomah County 90 kmColumbia County 91 kmThurston County 93 kmHood River County 93 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
1:50 am PST on 9 December 2016 ()
Where
33 km (21 mi) southeast of Morton, WA · earthquakes near Morton
Magnitude
M 3.3 (ml)
Depth
7.0 km below the surface
Felt
9 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Measured shaking
intensity III (ShakeMap)
Nearest
Skamania County, 32 km S
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3536 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 53 km (33 mi) from the epicentre. In Morton, 33 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: Morton 33 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 1.5 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 110,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 5,100× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 3,600× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.3 about 1.5 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 3.1× more

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 16 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 5.7 38 km NNE of Amboy, Washington · 17 km SW of this epicentre
  2. 5.2 37 km NNE of Amboy, Washington · 17 km SW of this epicentre
  3. 5.2 23 km S of Morton, Washington · 16 km WNW of this epicentre
  4. 5.1 28 km ENE of Amboy, Washington · 33 km SSW of this epicentre
  5. 5.1 Washington · 14 km SW 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 46.3088, -122.0318. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Skamania County, WA 32 km (20 mi) S earthquakes near Skamania County
Lewis County, WA 40 km (25 mi) NW earthquakes near Lewis County
Cowlitz County, WA 51 km (32 mi) WSW earthquakes near Cowlitz County
Clark County, WA 69 km (43 mi) SSW earthquakes near Clark County
Pierce County, WA 83 km (52 mi) N earthquakes near Pierce County
Multnomah County, OR 90 km (56 mi) SSW earthquakes near Multnomah County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.7 30 km ENE of Amboy, Washington
  2. 1.6 28 km ENE of Amboy, Washington
  3. 1.5 14 km ENE of Yacolt, Washington
  4. 1.6 3 km NE of Mossyrock, Washington
  5. 1.8 36 km SSE of Morton, Washington
  6. 1.6 17 km S of Morton, Washington
  7. 2.7 6 km WSW of Packwood, Washington
  8. 1.7 37 km SSE of Morton, Washington
  9. 2.2 15 km S of Morton, Washington
  10. 1.9 10 km WSW of Packwood, Washington
  11. 1.6 37 km SSE of Morton, Washington
  12. 1.8 5 km SW of Packwood, Washington
  13. 2.0 36 km SSE of Morton, Washington
  14. 2.0 37 km SSE of Morton, Washington
  15. 2.7 37 km SSE of Morton, 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.