QuakeIndex

explosion · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.5ml

Earthquake near Enumclaw, WA

No earthquake was likely felt in Enumclaw in the 24 hours to 8:19 am PST (16:19 UTC). The last one was M 1.7, 12 km (8 mi) ESE, at 1:24 pm PDT on 8 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Enumclaw

No: USGS classifies this as a explosion, not an earthquake. A magnitude 1.5 explosion was recorded 10 km (6 mi) east-southeast of Enumclaw, WA, at 12:50 pm PST on 18 February 2022 (20:50 UTC), less than 1 km deep.

USGS: 10 km ESE of Enumclaw, Washington

61 km (38 mi) SE of Seattle, WA · 30 km (19 mi) ESE of Auburn, WA

12:50 pm PST, Feb 18, 2022 · · -0.8 km deep · released about 6.2 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Pierce County 27 kmKing County 34 kmLewis County 78 kmKitsap County 78 kmThurston County 79 kmKittitas County 90 kmSnohomish County 97 kmMason County 101 kmYakima 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
12:50 pm PST on 18 February 2022 ()
Where
10 km (6 mi) east-southeast of Enumclaw, WA · earthquakes near Enumclaw
Magnitude
M 1.5 (ml)
Depth
-0.8 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Pierce County, 27 km WSW
Nearest mapped fault
Tacoma fault, 24 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 1725 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 10 km (6 mi) from the epicentre. In Enumclaw, 10 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: Enumclaw 10 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

USGS catalogues this as explosion, not an earthquake.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 6.2 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 2,500,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,700,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 150× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.5 about 6.2 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 2 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.7 1 km ENE of Dash Point, Washington · 45 km WNW of this epicentre
  2. 5.0 3 km WSW of Des Moines, Washington · 44 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 47.1820, -121.8580. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Pierce County, WA 27 km (17 mi) WSW earthquakes near Pierce County
King County, WA 34 km (21 mi) N earthquakes near King County
Lewis County, WA 78 km (48 mi) SSW earthquakes near Lewis County
Kitsap County, WA 78 km (49 mi) NW earthquakes near Kitsap County
Thurston County, WA 79 km (49 mi) WSW earthquakes near Thurston County
Kittitas County, WA 90 km (56 mi) E earthquakes near Kittitas 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. 2.0 Puget Sound region, Washington
  2. 2.4 0 km NW of Des Moines, Washington
  3. 1.7 2 km SSW of Burien, Washington
  4. 1.8 23 km ENE of Ashford, Washington
  5. 1.5 3 km WSW of North Bend, Washington
  6. 1.9 1 km WNW of Bonney Lake, Washington
  7. 1.6 25 km ENE of Ashford, Washington
  8. 1.6 15 km NNE of Ashford, Washington
  9. 1.6 2 km E of Kapowsin, Washington
  10. 1.6 11 km NE of North Bend, Washington
  11. 1.7 5 km S of Black Diamond, Washington
  12. 1.7 1 km WNW of Bonney Lake, Washington
  13. 1.6 5 km WNW of Ashford, Washington
  14. 1.6 6 km ENE of Elbe, Washington
  15. 1.6 6 km ENE of Mirrormont, 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.