Earthquake near Molalla, OR

USGS: Washington-Oregon border region

43 km (27 mi) S of Portland, OR · 34 km (21 mi) SSE of Tigard, OR

3:15 pm PST, Nov 22, 2017 · 2017-11-22 23:15 UTC · 23 km deep · released about 12 lb of TNT

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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: 3:15 pm PST on 22 November 2017 (2017-11-22 23:15 UTC)
Where: in Molalla, OR · earthquakes near Molalla
Magnitude: M 1.7 (ml)
Depth: 23 km below the surface
Felt: no reports yet
Nearest: Marion County, 28 km S
Nearest mapped fault: Mount Angel fault, 17 km from its surface trace — near is not the same as on
Status: Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS 3236 days ago · we first saw it 3236 days ago

A magnitude 1.7 earthquake was recorded in Molalla, OR, at 3:15 pm PST on 22 November 2017 (23:15 UTC). This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Mulino, Canby, Beavercreek, Hubbard, Mount Angel, Woodburn.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 12 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,300,000× the energy of this one
Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 900,000× the energy of this one
Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 80× the energy of this one
This earthquake M 1.7 about 12 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.

Where

Map loads when it scrolls into view

Epicentre 45.1498, -122.5918. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

Place	Distance	Direction from the epicentre
Marion County, OR	28 km (17 mi)	S	earthquakes near Marion County
Clackamas County, OR	31 km (19 mi)	E	earthquakes near Clackamas County
Multnomah County, OR	46 km (29 mi)	NNE	earthquakes near Multnomah County
Yamhill County, OR	58 km (36 mi)	W	earthquakes near Yamhill County
Washington County, OR	60 km (37 mi)	NW	earthquakes near Washington County
Polk County, OR	69 km (43 mi)	WSW	earthquakes near Polk County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

1.8 Washington-Oregon border region 06:56 UTC
1.6 7 km E of Molalla, Oregon 20:36 UTC
1.6 2 km E of Sherwood, Oregon 23:18 UTC
1.9 5 km SE of Silverton, Oregon 08:08 UTC
1.5 3 km SSW of Beaverton, Oregon 22:28 UTC
1.8 9 km ESE of Scotts Mills, OR 06:58 UTC
1.9 3 km WSW of Dundee, Oregon 20:41 UTC
1.8 8 km SE of Molalla, Oregon 21:01 UTC
2.0 3 km W of Mehama, Oregon 17:11 UTC
2.4 3 km WNW of Molalla, Oregon 14:26 UTC
2.6 6 km ESE of Scotts Mills, Oregon 15:44 UTC
1.5 4 km W of Mulino, Oregon 19:40 UTC
1.7 8 km SE of Molalla, Oregon 21:19 UTC
1.6 4 km SSW of Sandy, Oregon 03:39 UTC
1.6 6 km NNW of Mill City, Oregon 08:45 UTC

Counted from the QuakeIndex database, which ingests the USGS feed every 30 seconds · as of 04:04 UTC. QuakeIndex does not forecast aftershocks. When USGS issues an operational aftershock forecast it appears on the USGS event page.

On USGS

The official USGS event page — the source of record for every value above
Did you feel it? Report it to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us
ShakeMap for this event, when USGS has produced one

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.