QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.7ml

Earthquake near Enetai, WA

No earthquake was likely felt in Enetai in the 24 hours to 12:25 am PST (08:25 UTC). The last one was M 4.2, 23 km (14 mi) SSW, at 2:05 pm PDT on 29 September 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 9,329 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Enetai

This page: a magnitude 1.7 earthquake was recorded 3 km (2 mi) northeast of Enetai, WA, at 5:52 am PDT on 18 May 2020 (12:52 UTC), 29 km deep.

USGS: 3 km NE of Enetai, Washington

16 km (10 mi) W of Seattle, WA

5:52 am PDT, May 18, 2020 · · 29 km deep · released about 12 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Enetai Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Kitsap County 8 kmMason County 54 kmKing County 56 kmIsland County 62 kmPierce County 69 kmJefferson County 75 kmThurston County 77 kmSnohomish County 78 kmSan Juan County 108 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
5:52 am PDT on 18 May 2020 ()
Where
3 km (2 mi) northeast of Enetai, WA · earthquakes near Enetai
Magnitude
M 1.7 (ml)
Depth
29 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Kitsap County, 8 km WNW
Nearest mapped fault
Seattle fault, 1 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 614 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 Enetai, 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: Bainbridge Island, Manchester, Bremerton, Tracyton, Rocky Point, Parkwood.

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 1,200,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 870,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 78× 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

The largest earthquake within 50 km since 2016 was M 4.1 on 2017-02-23 — about 3,300 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 5 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.7 1 km ENE of Dash Point, Washington · 33 km SSE of this epicentre
  2. 6.1 Puget Sound region, Washington · 26 km SSW of this epicentre
  3. 5.8 Puget Sound area, Washington · 44 km SW of this epicentre
  4. 5.3 Eastern Olympic Peninsula, Washington · 39 km NW of this epicentre
  5. 5.0 3 km WSW of Des Moines, Washington · 28 km SSE 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 47.6025, -122.5648. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Kitsap County, WA 8 km (5 mi) WNW earthquakes near Kitsap County
Mason County, WA 54 km (33 mi) WSW earthquakes near Mason County
King County, WA 56 km (35 mi) ESE earthquakes near King County
Island County, WA 62 km (39 mi) N earthquakes near Island County
Pierce County, WA 69 km (43 mi) SSE earthquakes near Pierce County
Jefferson County, WA 75 km (47 mi) WNW earthquakes near Jefferson 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. 2.0 2 km N of Lakeland South, Washington
  2. 1.6 10 km SW of Brinnon, Washington
  3. 1.7 5 km SSW of Port Ludlow, Washington
  4. 2.0 0 km N of Enetai, Washington
  5. 1.8 1 km SW of Enetai, Washington
  6. 1.6 2 km S of Bainbridge Island, Washington
  7. 2.4 0 km SE of Enetai, Washington
  8. 1.6 6 km SW of Port Hadlock-Irondale, Washington
  9. 1.7 1 km S of Southworth, Washington
  10. 1.6 3 km N of Silverdale, Washington
  11. 1.8 5 km SW of Port Ludlow, Washington
  12. 1.6 4 km W of Seabeck, Washington
  13. 1.7 3 km ENE of Enetai, Washington
  14. 1.5 2 km NNW of Manchester, Washington
  15. 2.2 1 km E of Enetai, 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.