QuakeIndex

explosion · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6ml

Earthquake near Yacolt, WA

No earthquake was likely felt in Yacolt in the 24 hours to 12:15 pm PST (20:15 UTC). The last one was M 1.6, 7 km (5 mi) SW, at 4:25 pm PDT on 19 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Yacolt

No: USGS classifies this as a explosion, not an earthquake. A magnitude 1.6 explosion was recorded 16 km (10 mi) east-southeast of Yacolt, WA, at 12:52 pm PDT on 25 October 2019 (19:52 UTC), less than 1 km deep.

USGS: 16 km ESE of Yacolt, Washington

45 km (28 mi) NE of Portland, OR · 35 km (22 mi) ENE of Vancouver, WA

12:52 pm PDT, Oct 25, 2019 · · -1.0 km deep · released about 8.4 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Clark County 21 kmSkamania County 32 kmMultnomah County 32 kmHood River County 54 kmCowlitz County 57 kmColumbia County 69 kmClackamas County 71 kmWashington County 74 kmLewis County 88 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
12:52 pm PDT on 25 October 2019 ()
Where
16 km (10 mi) east-southeast of Yacolt, WA · earthquakes near Yacolt
Magnitude
M 1.6 (ml)
Depth
-1.0 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Clark County, 21 km W
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 611 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 12 km (7 mi) from the epicentre. In Yacolt, 16 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: Venersborg, Amboy, Hockinson, Fern Prairie, Lewisville, Battle Ground.

USGS catalogues this as explosion, not an earthquake.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 8.4 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,800,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,300,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 110× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 8.4 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 15 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 5.7 38 km NNE of Amboy, Washington · 45 km N of this epicentre
  2. 5.2 5 km E of Bridgeton, Oregon · 37 km SW of this epicentre
  3. 5.2 37 km NNE of Amboy, Washington · 45 km N of this epicentre
  4. 5.1 28 km ENE of Amboy, Washington · 26 km NNE of this epicentre
  5. 5.1 Washington · 48 km N 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 45.8007, -122.2160. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Clark County, WA 21 km (13 mi) W earthquakes near Clark County
Skamania County, WA 32 km (20 mi) NE earthquakes near Skamania County
Multnomah County, OR 32 km (20 mi) SSW earthquakes near Multnomah County
Hood River County, OR 54 km (34 mi) SE earthquakes near Hood River County
Cowlitz County, WA 57 km (35 mi) NW earthquakes near Cowlitz County
Columbia County, OR 69 km (43 mi) WNW earthquakes near Columbia 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 2 km ESE of Lewisville, Washington
  2. 2.0 37 km NNE of Amboy, Washington
  3. 1.6 37 km NNE of Amboy, Washington
  4. 1.5 28 km N of Amboy, Washington
  5. 1.5 4 km NNW of North Bonneville, Washington
  6. 1.7 16 km NNE of Amboy, Washington
  7. 1.5 2 km SSE of Lewisville, Washington
  8. 1.7 26 km N of Amboy, Washington
  9. 2.0 1 km NNW of Salmon Creek, Washington
  10. 2.4 8 km NW of Parkdale, Oregon
  11. 1.6 Washington-Oregon border region
  12. 1.7 3 km SSW of Yacolt, Washington
  13. 1.8 4 km SW of North Portland, Oregon
  14. 1.5 5 km ENE of Lewisville, Washington
  15. 1.6 5 km E of Lewisville, 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.