QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.8ml

Earthquake near Shoreline, WA

No earthquake was likely felt in Shoreline in the 24 hours to 9:23 am PST (17:23 UTC). The last one was M 4.2, 49 km (30 mi) SW, at 2:05 pm PDT on 29 September 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 9,329 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Shoreline

This page: a magnitude 1.8 earthquake was recorded 2 km (1 mi) west-southwest of Shoreline, WA, at 7:16 pm PST on 5 November 2017 (03:16 UTC), 25 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 2 km WSW of Shoreline, Washington

15 km (9 mi) N of Seattle, WA · in Shoreline, WA

7:16 pm PST, Nov 5, 2017 · · 25 km deep · released about 13 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Kitsap County 24 kmKing County 50 kmIsland County 51 kmSnohomish County 57 kmMason County 75 kmPierce County 79 kmJefferson County 87 kmSkagit County 92 kmThurston County 97 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
7:16 pm PST on 5 November 2017 ()
Where
2 km (1 mi) west-southwest of Shoreline, WA · earthquakes near Shoreline
Magnitude
M 1.8 (ml)
Depth
25 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity I
Nearest
Kitsap County, 24 km WSW
Nearest mapped fault
Southern Whidbey Island fault, 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 3294 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 Shoreline, 2 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: Esperance, Woodway, Mountlake Terrace, Lake Forest Park, Edmonds, Brier.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 13 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,200,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 840,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 75× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.8 about 13 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 7 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.7 1 km ENE of Dash Point, Washington · 47 km S of this epicentre
  2. 6.1 Puget Sound region, Washington · 48 km SW of this epicentre
  3. 5.4 8 km NNE of Lake Marcel-Stillwater, Washington · 37 km E of this epicentre
  4. 5.3 Eastern Olympic Peninsula, Washington · 47 km W of this epicentre
  5. 5.2 9 km NE of Lake Marcel-Stillwater, Washington · 40 km E 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 47.7497, -122.3712. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Kitsap County, WA 24 km (15 mi) WSW earthquakes near Kitsap County
King County, WA 50 km (31 mi) SE earthquakes near King County
Island County, WA 51 km (31 mi) NNW earthquakes near Island County
Snohomish County, WA 57 km (35 mi) NE earthquakes near Snohomish County
Mason County, WA 75 km (46 mi) SW earthquakes near Mason County
Pierce County, WA 79 km (49 mi) SSE earthquakes near Pierce 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. 1.5 10 km N of Quilcene, Washington
  2. 1.7 1 km SSE of Mukilteo, Washington
  3. 1.6 2 km N of Seattle, Washington
  4. 1.5 7 km ENE of Allyn, Washington
  5. 1.6 1 km W of Enetai, Washington
  6. 1.7 3 km W of Redmond, Washington
  7. 1.6 3 km W of Redmond, Washington
  8. 1.7 3 km SE of Duvall, Washington
  9. 1.7 6 km W of Burley, Washington
  10. 1.6 2 km S of West Lake Sammamish, Washington
  11. 2.7 4 km WSW of Mercer Island, Washington
  12. 2.3 6 km W of Burley, Washington
  13. 1.8 1 km SSW of Esperance, Washington
  14. 1.9 5 km S of Port Ludlow, Washington
  15. 2.3 2 km WNW of Redmond, 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.