QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.0ml

Earthquake near Morton, WA

No earthquake was likely felt in Morton in the 24 hours to 6:54 am PST (14:54 UTC). The last one was M 4.2, 100 km (62 mi) NNW, at 2:05 pm PDT on 29 September 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 9,329 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Morton

This page: a magnitude 2.0 earthquake was recorded 9 km (6 mi) west-southwest of Morton, WA, at 8:12 am PDT on 21 June 2022 (15:12 UTC), 20 km deep.

USGS: Washington

8:12 am PDT, Jun 21, 2022 · · 20 km deep · released about 36 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Lewis County 5 kmCowlitz County 44 kmThurston County 56 kmPierce County 60 kmSkamania County 66 kmWahkiakum County 84 kmColumbia County 85 kmClark County 85 kmPacific 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
8:12 am PDT on 21 June 2022 ()
Where
9 km (6 mi) west-southwest of Morton, WA · earthquakes near Morton
Magnitude
M 2.0 (ml)
Depth
20 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Lewis County, 5 km N
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1601 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 Morton, 9 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.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 36 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 3.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 420,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 300,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 27× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.0 about 36 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 15 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 5.7 38 km NNE of Amboy, Washington · 40 km SSE of this epicentre
  2. 5.2 37 km NNE of Amboy, Washington · 40 km SSE of this epicentre
  3. 5.2 23 km S of Morton, Washington · 24 km SSE of this epicentre
  4. 5.1 Washington · 38 km SSE of this epicentre
  5. 5.1 38 km NNE of Amboy, Washington · 39 km SSE 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 46.5365, -122.3877. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Lewis County, WA 5 km (3 mi) N earthquakes near Lewis County
Cowlitz County, WA 44 km (27 mi) SSW earthquakes near Cowlitz County
Thurston County, WA 56 km (35 mi) NW earthquakes near Thurston County
Pierce County, WA 60 km (37 mi) NNE earthquakes near Pierce County
Skamania County, WA 66 km (41 mi) SSE earthquakes near Skamania County
Wahkiakum County, WA 84 km (52 mi) WSW earthquakes near Wahkiakum County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 19 km SSW of Mossyrock, Washington
  2. 1.7 36 km SSE of Morton, Washington
  3. 2.1 38 km NNE of Amboy, Washington
  4. 1.8 5 km ENE of Ashford, Washington
  5. 2.7 5 km ENE of Ashford, Washington
  6. 2.1 5 km ENE of Ashford, Washington
  7. 1.6 31 km NNE of Amboy, Washington
  8. 1.5 7 km ESE of Mossyrock, Washington
  9. 2.2 36 km SSE of Morton, Washington
  10. 1.7 17 km S of Morton, Washington
  11. 1.5 10 km SSE of Toledo, Washington
  12. 1.8 10 km SSE of Mossyrock, Washington
  13. 2.5 15 km SSE of Ashford, Washington
  14. 1.7 10 km NE of Castle Rock, Washington
  15. 1.9 11 km NNW of Morton, 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.