QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.7ml

Earthquake near Amboy, WA

No earthquake was likely felt in Amboy in the 24 hours to 7:13 am PST (15:13 UTC). The last one was M 1.6, 11 km (7 mi) S, at 4:25 pm PDT on 19 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Amboy

This page: a magnitude 1.7 earthquake was recorded 23 km (14 mi) north-northeast of Amboy, WA, at 11:17 pm PST on 3 November 2019 (07:17 UTC), 5.4 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 23 km NNE of Amboy, Washington

68 km (42 mi) NNE of Portland, OR · 56 km (35 mi) NNE of Vancouver, WA

11:17 pm PST, Nov 3, 2019 · · 5.4 km deep · released about 12 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Amboy Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Cowlitz County 27 kmSkamania County 32 kmClark County 39 kmLewis County 53 kmColumbia County 59 kmMultnomah County 62 kmWashington County 84 kmWahkiakum County 85 kmHood River County 86 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
11:17 pm PST on 3 November 2019 ()
Where
23 km (14 mi) north-northeast of Amboy, WA · earthquakes near Amboy
Magnitude
M 1.7 (ml)
Depth
5.4 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Cowlitz County, 27 km WNW
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 Amboy, 23 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: Yacolt.

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.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,300,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 900,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 80× the energy of this one
  4. 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.

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 16 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 5.7 38 km NNE of Amboy, Washington · 17 km NE of this epicentre
  2. 5.2 37 km NNE of Amboy, Washington · 16 km NE of this epicentre
  3. 5.2 23 km S of Morton, Washington · 28 km NNE of this epicentre
  4. 5.1 28 km ENE of Amboy, Washington · 20 km ESE of this epicentre
  5. 5.1 Washington · 19 km NE 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 46.1078, -122.3535. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Cowlitz County, WA 27 km (17 mi) WNW earthquakes near Cowlitz County
Skamania County, WA 32 km (20 mi) ESE earthquakes near Skamania County
Clark County, WA 39 km (24 mi) SSW earthquakes near Clark County
Lewis County, WA 53 km (33 mi) N earthquakes near Lewis County
Columbia County, OR 59 km (37 mi) WSW earthquakes near Columbia County
Multnomah County, OR 62 km (39 mi) S earthquakes near Multnomah County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.7 21 km E of Castle Rock, Washington
  2. 1.6 10 km SSE of Toledo, Washington
  3. 1.6 21 km E of Castle Rock, Washington
  4. 1.7 21 km E of Castle Rock, Washington
  5. 2.1 29 km E of Castle Rock, Washington
  6. 1.6 21 km E of Castle Rock, Washington
  7. 1.8 2 km S of Saint Helens, Oregon
  8. 1.9 10 km SSE of Toledo, Washington
  9. 1.6 5 km E of Lewisville, Washington
  10. 1.7 20 km SE of Toledo, Washington
  11. 1.7 1 km SSE of Prescott, Oregon
  12. 1.6 7 km ENE of Prescott, Oregon
  13. 2.3 14 km ENE of Yacolt, Washington
  14. 1.5 3 km E of Lewisville, Washington
  15. 1.7 14 km NNW of Carson, 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.