QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.5ml

Earthquake near Beaverton, OR

No earthquake was likely felt in Beaverton in the 24 hours to 8:18 am PST (16:18 UTC). The last one was M 1.5, 7 km (4 mi) WSW, at 1:30 pm PDT on 11 June 2025, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Beaverton

This page: a magnitude 1.5 earthquake was recorded 4 km (2 mi) south-southwest of Beaverton, OR, at 3:28 pm PDT on 3 July 2020 (22:28 UTC), 22 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 3 km SSW of Beaverton, Oregon

16 km (10 mi) SW of Portland, OR · in Beaverton, OR

3:28 pm PDT, Jul 3, 2020 · · 22 km deep · released about 5.9 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Washington County 24 kmMultnomah County 33 kmClark County 44 kmYamhill County 45 kmColumbia County 58 kmClackamas County 59 kmMarion County 64 kmTillamook County 73 kmPolk County 76 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
3:28 pm PDT on 3 July 2020 ()
Where
4 km (2 mi) south-southwest of Beaverton, OR · earthquakes near Beaverton
Magnitude
M 1.5 (ml)
Depth
22 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Washington County, 24 km WNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1958 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 Beaverton, 4 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: Tigard, Metzger, Garden Home-Whitford, Raleigh Hills, Aloha, Cedar Hills.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 5.9 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,500,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,800,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 160× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.5 about 5.9 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 3 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.6 4 km E of Scotts Mills, Oregon · 50 km SSE of this epicentre
  2. 5.2 5 km E of Bridgeton, Oregon · 24 km NE of this epicentre
  3. 5.0 3 km SW of Portland, Oregon · 11 km ENE 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 45.4538, -122.8223. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Washington County, OR 24 km (15 mi) WNW earthquakes near Washington County
Multnomah County, OR 33 km (21 mi) ENE earthquakes near Multnomah County
Clark County, WA 44 km (27 mi) NE earthquakes near Clark County
Yamhill County, OR 45 km (28 mi) WSW earthquakes near Yamhill County
Columbia County, OR 58 km (36 mi) NNW earthquakes near Columbia County
Clackamas County, OR 59 km (37 mi) ESE earthquakes near Clackamas County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.7 1 km SW of Columbia City, Oregon
  2. 1.7 1 km NNE of Battle Ground, Washington
  3. 1.8 2 km E of Saint Helens, Oregon
  4. 2.0 4 km WNW of Dundee, Oregon
  5. 2.8 6 km SW of Aloha, Oregon
  6. 1.6 1 km SSE of King City, Oregon
  7. 2.0 4 km SE of Mill Plain, Washington
  8. 1.6 8 km ESE of Molalla, Oregon
  9. 1.6 4 km NNW of Lewisville, Washington
  10. 2.6 3 km SE of Mill Plain, Washington
  11. 1.7 4 km WNW of Molalla, Oregon
  12. 2.7 4 km WNW of Molalla, Oregon
  13. 2.2 1 km SW of Carlton, Oregon
  14. 1.7 8 km SE of Molalla, Oregon
  15. 2.0 6 km NE of Amity, 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.