QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.7ml

Earthquake near Morton, WA

No earthquake was likely felt in Morton in the 24 hours to 3:35 am PST (11:35 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 2.7 earthquake was recorded 40 km (25 mi) east of Morton, WA, at 5:37 pm PST on 9 February 2018 (01:37 UTC), 8.4 km deep. 13 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 6 km WSW of Packwood, Washington

5:37 pm PST, Feb 9, 2018 · · 8.4 km deep · released about 290 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Morton Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Lewis County 48 kmPierce County 60 kmSkamania County 64 kmYakima County 79 kmCowlitz County 83 kmThurston County 91 kmKing County 101 kmKittitas County 101 kmClark County 107 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
5:37 pm PST on 9 February 2018 ()
Where
40 km (25 mi) east of Morton, WA · earthquakes near Morton
Magnitude
M 2.7 (ml)
Depth
8.4 km below the surface
Felt
13 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Lewis County, 48 km W
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 3116 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 23 km (14 mi) from the epicentre. In Morton, 40 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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 290 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 51,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 36,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 3.2× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.7 about 290 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. 5.2 23 km S of Morton, Washington · 45 km SW of this epicentre
  2. 5.0 34 km SSE of Morton, Washington · 49 km SW of this epicentre
  3. 5.0 23 km ESE of Packwood, Washington · 28 km ESE 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 46.5855, -121.7532. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Lewis County, WA 48 km (30 mi) W earthquakes near Lewis County
Pierce County, WA 60 km (37 mi) NNW earthquakes near Pierce County
Skamania County, WA 64 km (40 mi) SSW earthquakes near Skamania County
Yakima County, WA 79 km (49 mi) E earthquakes near Yakima County
Cowlitz County, WA 83 km (52 mi) WSW earthquakes near Cowlitz County
Thurston County, WA 91 km (56 mi) WNW earthquakes near Thurston County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 Washington
  2. 2.0 7 km ESE of Ashford, Washington
  3. 2.1 15 km NNE of Ashford, Washington
  4. 3.4 20 km ESE of Packwood, Washington
  5. 2.1 22 km ENE of Ashford, Washington
  6. 1.9 15 km N of Ashford, Washington
  7. 1.7 8 km S of Morton, Washington
  8. 2.1 Washington
  9. 1.9 23 km ENE of Ashford, Washington
  10. 1.5 23 km ENE of Ashford, Washington
  11. 1.7 9 km NE of Ashford, Washington
  12. 1.5 23 km ENE of Ashford, Washington
  13. 1.7 23 km ENE of Ashford, Washington
  14. 1.6 23 km ENE of Ashford, Washington
  15. 1.6 21 km ESE of Packwood, 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.