QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.9ml

Earthquake near Aberdeen, WA

No earthquake was likely felt in Aberdeen in the 24 hours to 10:29 pm PST (06:29 UTC). The last one was M 4.2, 95 km (59 mi) ENE, at 2:05 pm PDT on 29 September 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 9,329 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Aberdeen

This page: a magnitude 1.9 earthquake was recorded 36 km (22 mi) north-northeast of Aberdeen, WA, at 5:08 pm PDT on 20 April 2020 (00:08 UTC), 21 km deep.

USGS: 20 km SE of Neilton, Washington

5:08 pm PDT, Apr 20, 2020 · · 21 km deep · released about 19 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Grays Harbor County 22 kmMason County 39 kmJefferson County 59 kmThurston County 76 kmPacific County 82 kmKitsap County 87 kmClallam County 93 kmWahkiakum County 112 kmPierce County 119 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
5:08 pm PDT on 20 April 2020 ()
Where
36 km (22 mi) north-northeast of Aberdeen, WA · earthquakes near Aberdeen
Magnitude
M 1.9 (ml)
Depth
21 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Grays Harbor County, 22 km SSW
Nearest mapped fault
Saddle Mountain faults, 17 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 2397 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 Aberdeen, 36 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 19 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.9 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 790,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 560,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 50× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.9 about 19 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.1 on 2018-11-19 — about 2,100 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 3 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.8 8 km N of Satsop, Washington · 29 km SE of this epicentre
  2. 5.1 Olympic Peninsula, Washington · 24 km ESE of this epicentre
  3. 5.0 18 km N of Satsop, Washington · 19 km SE 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 47.2872, -123.6855. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Grays Harbor County, WA 22 km (14 mi) SSW earthquakes near Grays Harbor County
Mason County, WA 39 km (24 mi) E earthquakes near Mason County
Jefferson County, WA 59 km (37 mi) NNE earthquakes near Jefferson County
Thurston County, WA 76 km (47 mi) ESE earthquakes near Thurston County
Pacific County, WA 82 km (51 mi) S earthquakes near Pacific County
Kitsap County, WA 87 km (54 mi) ENE earthquakes near Kitsap County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.5 7 km NE of McCleary, Washington
  2. 1.9 8 km WNW of Shelton, Washington
  3. 1.5 7 km SSW of Neilton, Washington
  4. 1.6 5 km ESE of Humptulips, Washington
  5. 2.3 28 km NW of Hoodsport, Washington
  6. 1.8 7 km SSW of Cosmopolis, Washington
  7. 1.8 1 km SSE of Oyehut, Washington
  8. 2.4 25 km ESE of Neilton, Washington
  9. 2.2 16 km E of Humptulips, Washington
  10. 1.9 12 km NNW of Amanda Park, Washington
  11. 1.6 Olympic Peninsula, Washington
  12. 1.8 4 km N of Humptulips, Washington
  13. 2.6 8 km NW of Hoquiam, Washington
  14. 2.1 14 km N of Hoodsport, Washington
  15. 1.7 5 km WSW of Neilton, 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.