QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.3ml

Earthquake near Enetai, WA

No earthquake was likely felt in Enetai in the 24 hours to 7:31 am PST (15:31 UTC). The last one was M 4.2, 23 km (14 mi) SSW, at 2:05 pm PDT on 29 September 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 9,329 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Enetai

This page: a magnitude 2.3 earthquake was recorded in Enetai, WA, at 9:49 am PDT on 17 August 2021 (16:49 UTC), 26 km deep. 6 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 0 km E of Enetai, Washington

18 km (11 mi) WSW of Seattle, WA

9:49 am PDT, Aug 17, 2021 · · 26 km deep · released about 79 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Kitsap County 8 kmMason County 51 kmKing County 58 kmIsland County 64 kmPierce County 68 kmJefferson County 74 kmThurston County 74 kmSnohomish County 81 kmGrays Harbor County 107 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
9:49 am PDT on 17 August 2021 ()
Where
in Enetai, WA · earthquakes near Enetai
Magnitude
M 2.3 (ml)
Depth
26 km below the surface
Felt
6 reports · strongest reported intensity III
Nearest
Kitsap County, 8 km NW
Nearest mapped fault
Seattle fault, 2 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 1841 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: Bremerton, Manchester, Tracyton, Rocky Point, Parkwood, Port Orchard.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 79 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.3 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 190,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 130,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 12× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.3 about 79 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 4.1 on 2017-02-23 — about 520 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 6 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 6.8 The 2001 Nisqually, Washington Earthquake · 49 km SSW of this epicentre
  2. 6.7 1 km ENE of Dash Point, Washington · 32 km SSE of this epicentre
  3. 6.1 Puget Sound region, Washington · 24 km SSW of this epicentre
  4. 5.8 Puget Sound area, Washington · 41 km SW of this epicentre
  5. 5.3 Eastern Olympic Peninsula, Washington · 39 km NW 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 47.5843, -122.5920. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Kitsap County, WA 8 km (5 mi) NW earthquakes near Kitsap County
Mason County, WA 51 km (32 mi) WSW earthquakes near Mason County
King County, WA 58 km (36 mi) E earthquakes near King County
Island County, WA 64 km (40 mi) N earthquakes near Island County
Pierce County, WA 68 km (42 mi) SSE earthquakes near Pierce County
Jefferson County, WA 74 km (46 mi) WNW earthquakes near Jefferson County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 8 km WSW of Home, Washington
  2. 1.5 7 km WNW of Lofall, Washington
  3. 1.8 2 km SSE of Lake Forest Park, Washington
  4. 1.9 7 km SSW of Port Ludlow, Washington
  5. 1.9 7 km WNW of Lofall, Washington
  6. 2.3 5 km WNW of Wauna, Washington
  7. 1.5 8 km WNW of Lofall, Washington
  8. 3.7 7 km WNW of Lofall, Washington
  9. 1.5 5 km W of Gorst, Washington
  10. 1.7 6 km E of Quilcene, Washington
  11. 1.6 5 km SW of Port Ludlow, Washington
  12. 1.8 6 km NNW of Kingston, Washington
  13. 1.5 1 km NNE of Lakewood, Washington
  14. 1.5 6 km WSW of Erlands Point-Kitsap Lake, Washington
  15. 1.8 3 km W of Hansville, 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.