QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.5ml

Earthquake near Tigard, OR

No earthquake was likely felt in Tigard in the 24 hours to 8:16 pm PST (04:16 UTC). The last one was M 1.6, 10 km (6 mi) S, at 1:25 pm PST on 2 March 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 1 felt report to USGS. Every earthquake near Tigard

This page: a magnitude 1.5 earthquake was recorded in Tigard, OR, at 5:50 pm PDT on 19 May 2021 (00:50 UTC), 21 km deep.

USGS: 0 km N of Tigard, Oregon

14 km (9 mi) SW of Portland, OR · in Tigard, OR

5:50 pm PDT, May 19, 2021 · · 21 km deep · released about 5.4 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Washington County 28 kmMultnomah County 30 kmClark County 43 kmYamhill County 48 kmClackamas County 55 kmColumbia County 61 kmMarion County 62 kmTillamook County 77 kmPolk County 77 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
5:50 pm PDT on 19 May 2021 ()
Where
in Tigard, OR · earthquakes near Tigard
Magnitude
M 1.5 (ml)
Depth
21 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Washington County, 28 km WNW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 2003 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. 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: Metzger, Garden Home-Whitford, Durham, Raleigh Hills, Beaverton, Tualatin.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 5.4 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 2,800,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 2,000,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 180× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.5 about 5.4 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 · 47 km SSE of this epicentre
  2. 5.2 5 km E of Bridgeton, Oregon · 22 km NE of this epicentre
  3. 5.0 3 km SW of Portland, Oregon · 9 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 45.4388, -122.7723. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Washington County, OR 28 km (18 mi) WNW earthquakes near Washington County
Multnomah County, OR 30 km (19 mi) ENE earthquakes near Multnomah County
Clark County, WA 43 km (27 mi) NNE earthquakes near Clark County
Yamhill County, OR 48 km (30 mi) WSW earthquakes near Yamhill County
Clackamas County, OR 55 km (34 mi) SE earthquakes near Clackamas County
Columbia County, OR 61 km (38 mi) NNW earthquakes near Columbia 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. 1.7 6 km ESE of Molalla, Oregon
  2. 1.8 8 km S of Scappoose, Oregon
  3. 1.8 3 km WNW of Saint Helens, Oregon
  4. 1.7 8 km SE of Molalla, Oregon
  5. 1.6 3 km ESE of Sherwood, Oregon
  6. 2.0 2 km WNW of Molalla, Oregon
  7. 1.6 3 km E of Battle Ground, Washington
  8. 1.9 3 km NNE of Hubbard, Oregon
  9. 1.7 Washington-Oregon border region
  10. 1.7 5 km SSW of Saint Paul, Oregon
  11. 1.5 7 km ESE of Estacada, Oregon
  12. 1.7 8 km E of Molalla, Oregon
  13. 1.6 8 km SW of Aloha, Oregon
  14. 1.6 5 km E of Hubbard, Oregon
  15. 1.7 4 km ENE of Lewisville, 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.