QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.2ml

Earthquake near Morton, WA

No earthquake was likely felt in Morton in the 24 hours to 7:54 pm PST (03:54 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 3.2 earthquake was recorded 13 km (8 mi) south-southwest of Morton, WA, at 4:43 pm PDT on 14 March 2017 (23:43 UTC), 12 km deep. 34 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 12 km SSW of Morton, Washington

4:43 pm PDT, Mar 14, 2017 · · 12 km deep · released about 2,000 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Morton Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Lewis County 15 kmCowlitz County 39 kmSkamania County 55 kmThurston County 66 kmPierce County 68 kmClark County 76 kmColumbia County 81 kmWahkiakum County 86 kmMultnomah County 100 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
4:43 pm PDT on 14 March 2017 ()
Where
13 km (8 mi) south-southwest of Morton, WA · earthquakes near Morton
Magnitude
M 3.2 (ml)
Depth
12 km below the surface
Felt
34 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Measured shaking
intensity III (ShakeMap)
Nearest
Lewis County, 15 km NNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3446 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 46 km (29 mi) from the epicentre. In Morton, 13 km away, the estimate is intensity III (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 13 km, intensity III. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 2,000 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.2 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 170,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 7,700× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 5,400× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.2 about 2,000 lb of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 2.1× 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 · 29 km SSE of this epicentre
  2. 5.2 37 km NNE of Amboy, Washington · 29 km SSE of this epicentre
  3. 5.2 23 km S of Morton, Washington · 13 km SSE of this epicentre
  4. 5.1 28 km ENE of Amboy, Washington · 50 km SSE of this epicentre
  5. 5.1 Washington · 28 km SSE 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 46.4483, -122.3320. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Lewis County, WA 15 km (9 mi) NNW earthquakes near Lewis County
Cowlitz County, WA 39 km (24 mi) SW earthquakes near Cowlitz County
Skamania County, WA 55 km (34 mi) SSE earthquakes near Skamania County
Thurston County, WA 66 km (41 mi) NW earthquakes near Thurston County
Pierce County, WA 68 km (43 mi) NNE earthquakes near Pierce County
Clark County, WA 76 km (47 mi) S earthquakes near Clark County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.0 7 km S of Morton, Washington
  2. 1.9 10 km S of Onalaska, Washington
  3. 1.7 14 km SSE of Mossyrock, Washington
  4. 3.0 28 km ENE of Amboy, Washington
  5. 1.7 30 km ENE of Amboy, Washington
  6. 1.6 28 km ENE of Amboy, Washington
  7. 1.6 3 km NE of Mossyrock, Washington
  8. 2.0 4 km ENE of Ashford, Washington
  9. 1.8 36 km SSE of Morton, Washington
  10. 1.6 17 km S of Morton, Washington
  11. 1.7 37 km SSE of Morton, Washington
  12. 2.2 15 km S of Morton, Washington
  13. 1.9 10 km WSW of Packwood, Washington
  14. 1.6 37 km SSE of Morton, Washington
  15. 2.0 36 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.