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 2:44 pm PST (22:44 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 37 km (23 mi) north-northeast of Aberdeen, WA, at 11:55 am PDT on 22 May 2022 (18:55 UTC), 32 km deep.

USGS: 21 km SE of Neilton, Washington

11:55 am PDT, May 22, 2022 · · 32 km deep · released about 6.8 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Grays Harbor County 24 kmMason County 37 kmJefferson County 58 kmThurston County 75 kmPacific County 82 kmKitsap County 85 kmClallam County 92 kmWahkiakum County 113 kmPierce 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
11:55 am PDT on 22 May 2022 ()
Where
37 km (23 mi) north-northeast of Aberdeen, WA · earthquakes near Aberdeen
Magnitude
M 1.6 (ml)
Depth
32 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Grays Harbor County, 24 km SSW
Nearest mapped fault
Saddle Mountain faults, 15 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 1635 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, 37 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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 6.8 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 2,200,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,600,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 140× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 6.8 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 2018-11-19 — about 5,800 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 3 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.8 8 km N of Satsop, Washington · 29 km SSE of this epicentre
  2. 5.1 Olympic Peninsula, Washington · 22 km ESE of this epicentre
  3. 5.0 18 km N of Satsop, Washington · 19 km SE 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 47.2940, -123.6628. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Grays Harbor County, WA 24 km (15 mi) SSW earthquakes near Grays Harbor County
Mason County, WA 37 km (23 mi) E earthquakes near Mason County
Jefferson County, WA 58 km (36 mi) N earthquakes near Jefferson County
Thurston County, WA 75 km (46 mi) ESE earthquakes near Thurston County
Pacific County, WA 82 km (51 mi) S earthquakes near Pacific County
Kitsap County, WA 85 km (53 mi) ENE earthquakes near Kitsap County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.5 16 km NNE of Amanda Park, Washington
  2. 2.2 16 km NNE of Amanda Park, Washington
  3. 1.9 7 km W of Shelton, Washington
  4. 1.5 8 km SSW of Cosmopolis, Washington
  5. 2.2 2 km NW of Markham, Washington
  6. 2.2 7 km NNW of Hoodsport, Washington
  7. 2.4 6 km SSW of Neilton, Washington
  8. 1.7 16 km E of Humptulips, Washington
  9. 2.7 7 km NNW of Montesano, Washington
  10. 1.6 1 km NNE of Humptulips, Washington
  11. 1.6 1 km N of Humptulips, Washington
  12. 1.6 6 km WSW of Shelton, Washington
  13. 2.1 12 km S of Brady, Washington
  14. 1.9 16 km NW of Amanda Park, Washington
  15. 1.6 12 km NNE 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.