QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.5ml

Earthquake near Everett, WA

No earthquake was likely felt in Everett in the 24 hours to 2:36 pm PST (22:36 UTC). The last one was M 4.2, 75 km (47 mi) SSW, at 2:05 pm PDT on 29 September 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 9,329 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Everett

This page: a magnitude 1.5 earthquake was recorded 28 km (18 mi) east-southeast of Everett, WA, at 3:08 am PST on 3 February 2021 (11:08 UTC), 15 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 5 km NNW of North Sultan, Washington

52 km (32 mi) NE of Seattle, WA · 27 km (17 mi) E of Everett, WA

3:08 am PST, Feb 3, 2021 · · 15 km deep · released about 5.6 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Snohomish County 15 kmKing County 48 kmSkagit County 63 kmIsland County 68 kmKitsap County 69 kmChelan County 90 kmPierce County 100 kmWhatcom County 102 kmSan Juan County 114 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
3:08 am PST on 3 February 2021 ()
Where
28 km (18 mi) east-southeast of Everett, WA · earthquakes near Everett
Magnitude
M 1.5 (ml)
Depth
15 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Snohomish County, 15 km NNE
Nearest mapped fault
Southern Whidbey Island fault, 16 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 2036 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 Everett, 28 km away, the estimate is intensity I (not felt). 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: Sultan, Woods Creek, Gold Bar, Monroe North, Monroe, Three Lakes.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 5.6 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 2,700,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,900,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 170× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.5 about 5.6 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 4.6 on 2019-07-12 — about 40,000 times the energy of this one.

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

  1. 5.4 8 km NNE of Lake Marcel-Stillwater, Washington · 19 km S of this epicentre
  2. 5.2 9 km NE of Lake Marcel-Stillwater, Washington · 20 km S of this epicentre
  3. 5.0 4 km ENE of Machias, Washington · 15 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 47.9263, -121.8285. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Snohomish County, WA 15 km (9 mi) NNE earthquakes near Snohomish County
King County, WA 48 km (30 mi) S earthquakes near King County
Skagit County, WA 63 km (39 mi) N earthquakes near Skagit County
Island County, WA 68 km (42 mi) WNW earthquakes near Island County
Kitsap County, WA 69 km (43 mi) WSW earthquakes near Kitsap County
Chelan County, WA 90 km (56 mi) E earthquakes near Chelan County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.5 1 km ENE of Granite Falls, Washington
  2. 1.7 2 km ENE of Granite Falls, Washington
  3. 1.6 3 km S of Monroe, Washington
  4. 1.6 8 km NE of Tanner, Washington
  5. 2.2 9 km NNE of Snoqualmie, Washington
  6. 1.7 2 km WSW of Woods Creek, Washington
  7. 1.8 0 km NNE of Woods Creek, Washington
  8. 2.8 8 km NW of Verlot, Washington
  9. 1.5 1 km SSW of Lynnwood, Washington
  10. 1.7 1 km ENE of Granite Falls, Washington
  11. 1.6 10 km NNE of Snoqualmie, Washington
  12. 1.6 2 km S of Monroe, Washington
  13. 1.5 2 km ENE of Granite Falls, Washington
  14. 1.8 1 km SW of Snoqualmie, Washington
  15. 1.7 2 km E of Lake Stevens, 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.