QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6ml

Earthquake near Aberdeen, WA

No earthquake was likely felt in Aberdeen in the 24 hours to 2:52 am PST (10:52 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 1.6 earthquake was recorded 2 km (1 mi) west of Aberdeen, WA, at 6:28 pm PDT on 29 April 2021 (01:28 UTC), 30 km deep.

USGS: 2 km W of Aberdeen, Washington

6:28 pm PDT, Apr 29, 2021 · · 30 km deep · released about 7.6 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Grays Harbor County 15 kmPacific County 47 kmMason County 66 kmThurston County 77 kmWahkiakum County 82 kmJefferson County 95 kmClatsop County 106 kmKitsap County 117 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
6:28 pm PDT on 29 April 2021 ()
Where
2 km (1 mi) west of Aberdeen, WA · earthquakes near Aberdeen
Magnitude
M 1.6 (ml)
Depth
30 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Grays Harbor County, 15 km N
Nearest mapped fault
Cascadia fold and fault belt, 18 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 Aberdeen, 2 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: Hoquiam, Cosmopolis, Central Park, Montesano, Westport, Ocean Shores.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 7.6 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,000,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,400,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 130× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 7.6 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

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. 5.8 8 km N of Satsop, Washington · 31 km ENE of this epicentre
  2. 5.1 Olympic Peninsula, Washington · 42 km NE of this epicentre
  3. 5.0 18 km N of Satsop, Washington · 34 km NE 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 46.9755, -123.8468. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Grays Harbor County, WA 15 km (10 mi) N earthquakes near Grays Harbor County
Pacific County, WA 47 km (29 mi) S earthquakes near Pacific County
Mason County, WA 66 km (41 mi) NE earthquakes near Mason County
Thurston County, WA 77 km (48 mi) E earthquakes near Thurston County
Wahkiakum County, WA 82 km (51 mi) SSE earthquakes near Wahkiakum County
Jefferson County, WA 95 km (59 mi) NNE earthquakes near Jefferson County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 19 km E of Humptulips, Washington
  2. 2.0 9 km NE of Santiago, Washington
  3. 1.9 12 km SSE of Cosmopolis, Washington
  4. 1.6 0 km S of Pacific Beach, Washington
  5. 1.9 8 km NW of Aberdeen Gardens, Washington
  6. 1.7 11 km S of Humptulips, Washington
  7. 2.0 9 km SSW of Humptulips, Washington
  8. 2.0 8 km WSW of Neilton, Washington
  9. 1.5 17 km NNW of Pe Ell, Washington
  10. 2.1 7 km ENE of Santiago, Washington
  11. 2.0 14 km SSE of Cosmopolis, Washington
  12. 1.7 12 km SSE of Cosmopolis, Washington
  13. 1.6 15 km N of Satsop, Washington
  14. 1.6 24 km ESE of Neilton, Washington
  15. 1.8 5 km WSW of Aberdeen Gardens, 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.