QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.7ml

Earthquake near Ravensdale, WA

No earthquake was likely felt in Ravensdale in the 24 hours to 8:26 am PST (16:26 UTC). The last one was M 2.6, 14 km (9 mi) ENE, at 6:09 pm PDT on 14 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 46 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Ravensdale

This page: a magnitude 2.7 earthquake was recorded 2 km (1 mi) south of Ravensdale, WA, at 3:38 pm PDT on 20 August 2020 (22:38 UTC), 20 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 2 km S of Ravensdale, Washington

42 km (26 mi) SE of Seattle, WA · 17 km (11 mi) E of Auburn, WA

3:38 pm PDT, Aug 20, 2020 · · 20 km deep · released about 390 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N King County 21 kmPierce County 34 kmKitsap County 61 kmThurston County 78 kmSnohomish County 82 kmLewis County 89 kmMason County 90 kmKittitas County 101 kmIsland County 105 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
3:38 pm PDT on 20 August 2020 ()
Where
2 km (1 mi) south of Ravensdale, WA · earthquakes near Ravensdale
Magnitude
M 2.7 (ml)
Depth
20 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
King County, 21 km NNE
Nearest mapped fault
Rattlesnake Mountain fault, 14 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 2204 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 17 km (11 mi) from the epicentre. In Ravensdale, 2 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.

Likely felt in: Maple Valley 8 km, intensity II · Enumclaw 14 km, intensity II · East Hill-Meridian 17 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 390 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 39,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 28,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 2.5× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.7 about 390 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 4 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.7 1 km ENE of Dash Point, Washington · 32 km W of this epicentre
  2. 5.4 8 km NNE of Lake Marcel-Stillwater, Washington · 48 km N of this epicentre
  3. 5.2 9 km NE of Lake Marcel-Stillwater, Washington · 48 km NNE of this epicentre
  4. 5.0 3 km WSW of Des Moines, Washington · 29 km WNW 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 47.3322, -121.9852. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
King County, WA 21 km (13 mi) NNE earthquakes near King County
Pierce County, WA 34 km (21 mi) SSW earthquakes near Pierce County
Kitsap County, WA 61 km (38 mi) NW earthquakes near Kitsap County
Thurston County, WA 78 km (48 mi) SW earthquakes near Thurston County
Snohomish County, WA 82 km (51 mi) NNE earthquakes near Snohomish County
Lewis County, WA 89 km (55 mi) SSW earthquakes near Lewis County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 13 km W of Greenwater, Washington
  2. 1.9 1 km NW of West Lake Sammamish, Washington
  3. 2.5 17 km E of Carnation, Washington
  4. 1.7 4 km SSE of Bainbridge Island, Washington
  5. 2.2 5 km SE of Bainbridge Island, Washington
  6. 1.9 3 km NNW of Fall City, Washington
  7. 1.8 8 km E of Tanner, Washington
  8. 2.8 11 km E of Tanner, Washington
  9. 1.5 1 km NE of Ames Lake, Washington
  10. 1.6 0 km ESE of Buckley, Washington
  11. 1.9 11 km SE of Riverbend, Washington
  12. 2.2 12 km ESE of Riverbend, Washington
  13. 2.3 4 km SE of Black Diamond, Washington
  14. 1.8 12 km W of Greenwater, Washington
  15. 1.7 1 km N of Kingsgate, 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.