QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.5ml

Earthquake near Des Moines, WA

No earthquake was likely felt in Des Moines in the 24 hours to 1:46 pm PST (21:46 UTC). The last one was M 4.2, 30 km (19 mi) W, at 2:05 pm PDT on 29 September 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 9,329 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Des Moines

This page: a magnitude 1.5 earthquake was recorded 3 km (2 mi) south-southeast of Des Moines, WA, at 6:29 pm PDT on 25 October 2018 (01:29 UTC), 20 km deep.

USGS: 3 km SSE of Des Moines, Washington

28 km (17 mi) S of Seattle, WA · 7 km (4 mi) NNE of Federal Way, WA

6:29 pm PDT, Oct 25, 2018 · · 20 km deep · released about 5.6 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Des Moines Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Pierce County 38 kmKing County 38 kmKitsap County 39 kmThurston County 62 kmMason County 65 kmSnohomish County 86 kmLewis County 88 kmIsland County 91 kmJefferson County 103 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
6:29 pm PDT on 25 October 2018 ()
Where
3 km (2 mi) south-southeast of Des Moines, WA · earthquakes near Des Moines
Magnitude
M 1.5 (ml)
Depth
20 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Pierce County, 38 km SSE
Nearest mapped fault
Tacoma fault, 4 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 601 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 Des Moines, 3 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: Lakeland North, Federal Way, Kent, Normandy Park, SeaTac, Auburn.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 5.6 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,700,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,900,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 170× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.5 about 5.6 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 6 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.8 The 2001 Nisqually, Washington Earthquake · 40 km SW of this epicentre
  2. 6.7 4 km WNW of Roy, Washington · 45 km SSW of this epicentre
  3. 6.7 1 km ENE of Dash Point, Washington · 9 km SW of this epicentre
  4. 6.1 Puget Sound region, Washington · 33 km W of this epicentre
  5. 5.8 Puget Sound area, Washington · 46 km WSW 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 47.3720, -122.3110. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Pierce County, WA 38 km (23 mi) SSE earthquakes near Pierce County
King County, WA 38 km (24 mi) ENE earthquakes near King County
Kitsap County, WA 39 km (24 mi) NW earthquakes near Kitsap County
Thurston County, WA 62 km (39 mi) SW earthquakes near Thurston County
Mason County, WA 65 km (40 mi) W earthquakes near Mason County
Snohomish County, WA 86 km (54 mi) NNE earthquakes near Snohomish County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.8 8 km NNE of Snoqualmie, Washington
  2. 1.8 1 km N of Fairwood, Washington
  3. 1.8 13 km ESE of Enumclaw, Washington
  4. 2.0 1 km ENE of Enetai, Washington
  5. 1.7 1 km SE of Kapowsin, Washington
  6. 1.6 4 km SE of Ames Lake, Washington
  7. 2.0 4 km WNW of Gorst, Washington
  8. 1.7 5 km N of Belfair, Washington
  9. 1.6 6 km WNW of DuPont, Washington
  10. 1.5 3 km SSW of Gorst, Washington
  11. 2.6 3 km WSW of Erlands Point-Kitsap Lake, Washington
  12. 1.9 1 km N of Enetai, Washington
  13. 1.5 2 km ESE of Kapowsin, Washington
  14. 2.0 0 km ESE of Erlands Point-Kitsap Lake, Washington
  15. 1.8 1 km NNE of Burley, 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.