QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.8ml

Earthquake near Amboy, WA

No earthquake was likely felt in Amboy in the 24 hours to 12:17 am PST (08:17 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 1.8 earthquake was recorded 12 km (8 mi) north-northwest of Amboy, WA, at 3:06 pm PST on 17 February 2020 (23:06 UTC), 13 km deep.

USGS: 12 km NNW of Amboy, Washington

54 km (33 mi) NNE of Portland, OR · 42 km (26 mi) N of Vancouver, WA

3:06 pm PST, Feb 17, 2020 · · 13 km deep · released about 15 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Amboy Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Cowlitz County 24 kmClark County 26 kmSkamania County 43 kmColumbia County 45 kmMultnomah County 52 kmLewis County 64 kmWashington County 68 kmWahkiakum County 77 kmHood River County 87 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
3:06 pm PST on 17 February 2020 ()
Where
12 km (8 mi) north-northwest of Amboy, WA · earthquakes near Amboy
Magnitude
M 1.8 (ml)
Depth
13 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Cowlitz County, 24 km NNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2460 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 5 km (3 mi) from the epicentre. In Amboy, 12 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, La Center, Woodland, Lewisville, Battle Ground, Kalama.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 15 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 1,000,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 710,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 63× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.8 about 15 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 17 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 5.7 38 km NNE of Amboy, Washington · 33 km NE of this epicentre
  2. 5.2 5 km E of Bridgeton, Oregon · 46 km S of this epicentre
  3. 5.2 37 km NNE of Amboy, Washington · 33 km NE of this epicentre
  4. 5.2 23 km S of Morton, Washington · 43 km NNE of this epicentre
  5. 5.1 28 km ENE of Amboy, Washington · 30 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 46.0092, -122.5133. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Cowlitz County, WA 24 km (15 mi) NNW earthquakes near Cowlitz County
Clark County, WA 26 km (16 mi) S earthquakes near Clark County
Skamania County, WA 43 km (27 mi) E earthquakes near Skamania County
Columbia County, OR 45 km (28 mi) W earthquakes near Columbia County
Multnomah County, OR 52 km (32 mi) S earthquakes near Multnomah County
Lewis County, WA 64 km (40 mi) N earthquakes near Lewis County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

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

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.