QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.7ml

Earthquake near Point Roberts, WA

No earthquake was likely felt in Point Roberts in the 24 hours to 8:43 am PST (16:43 UTC). The last one was M 4.5, 46 km (29 mi) SSE, at 5:02 am PST on 3 March 2025, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 11,411 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Point Roberts

This page: a magnitude 2.7 earthquake was recorded 7 km (5 mi) south of Point Roberts, WA, at 5:16 pm PDT on 4 April 2022 (00:16 UTC), 19 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 7 km S of Point Roberts, Washington

49 km (30 mi) WNW of Bellingham, WA · 125 km (78 mi) NNW of Everett, WA

5:16 pm PDT, Apr 4, 2022 · · 19 km deep · released about 330 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Point Roberts Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N San Juan County 46 kmIsland County 90 kmWhatcom County 92 kmSkagit County 105 kmClallam County 108 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
5:16 pm PDT on 4 April 2022 ()
Where
7 km (5 mi) south of Point Roberts, WA · earthquakes near Point Roberts
Magnitude
M 2.7 (ml)
Depth
19 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
San Juan County, 46 km S
Nearest mapped fault
Birch Bay fault, 20 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 1616 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 17 km (11 mi) from the epicentre. In Point Roberts, 7 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Birch Bay, Blaine.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 330 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 46,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 33,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 2.9× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.7 about 330 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. 6.0 San Juan Islands, Washington · 32 km SE of this epicentre
  2. 5.5 21 km SSE of Point Roberts, Washington · 15 km SSE of this epicentre
  3. 5.1 10 km ESE of Salt Spring Island, Canada · 24 km WSW 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 48.9185, -123.0860. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
San Juan County, WA 46 km (28 mi) S earthquakes near San Juan County
Island County, WA 90 km (56 mi) SSE earthquakes near Island County
Whatcom County, WA 92 km (57 mi) E earthquakes near Whatcom County
Skagit County, WA 105 km (65 mi) ESE earthquakes near Skagit County
Clallam County, WA 108 km (67 mi) SSW earthquakes near Clallam County
Snohomish County, WA 137 km (85 mi) SE earthquakes near Snohomish 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 10 km E of Orcas, Washington
  2. 4.5 2025 Orcas Island, Washington
  3. 1.5 11 km NNW of Orcas, Washington
  4. 1.8 2 km W of Point Roberts, Washington
  5. 2.1 3 km W of Point Roberts, Washington
  6. 1.7 2 km SW of Point Roberts, Washington
  7. 1.8 3 km WSW of Point Roberts, Washington
  8. 1.7 2 km WSW of Point Roberts, Washington
  9. 1.6 2 km W of Point Roberts, Washington
  10. 2.8 10 km WSW of Friday Harbor, Washington
  11. 1.9 6 km NNE of Orcas, Washington
  12. 3.6 22 km NNE of Ganges, Canada
  13. 2.1 11 km E of North Saanich, Canada
  14. 4.0 12 km E of Saanichton, Canada
  15. 1.6 10 km W of Marietta, 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.