QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.5ml

Earthquake near Oak Harbor, WA

No earthquake was likely felt in Oak Harbor in the 24 hours to 10:19 pm PST (06:19 UTC). The last one was M 4.2, 99 km (62 mi) S, at 2:05 pm PDT on 29 September 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 9,329 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Oak Harbor

This page: a magnitude 1.5 earthquake was recorded 24 km (15 mi) west-southwest of Oak Harbor, WA, at 5:02 am PDT on 30 August 2022 (12:02 UTC), 48 km deep.

USGS: 16 km NE of Jamestown, Washington

83 km (51 mi) NNW of Seattle, WA

5:02 am PDT, Aug 30, 2022 · · 48 km deep · released about 5.9 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Island County 23 kmSan Juan County 31 kmJefferson County 65 kmKitsap County 71 kmClallam County 71 kmSkagit County 89 kmSnohomish County 91 kmMason County 101 kmWhatcom County 106 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
5:02 am PDT on 30 August 2022 ()
Where
24 km (15 mi) west-southwest of Oak Harbor, WA · earthquakes near Oak Harbor
Magnitude
M 1.5 (ml)
Depth
48 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Island County, 23 km ESE
Nearest mapped fault
Southern Whidbey Island fault, under 1 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 1535 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 Oak Harbor, 24 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.

Earthquakes near other towns within 30 km: Port Townsend, Coupeville, Sequim, Ault Field, Port Hadlock-Irondale.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 5.9 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 1,800,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 160× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.5 about 5.9 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. 5.3 Eastern Olympic Peninsula, Washington · 49 km S of this epicentre
  2. 5.0 6 km W of Conway, Washington · 40 km ENE 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 48.2428, -122.9553. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Island County, WA 23 km (14 mi) ESE earthquakes near Island County
San Juan County, WA 31 km (19 mi) NNW earthquakes near San Juan County
Jefferson County, WA 65 km (40 mi) SW earthquakes near Jefferson County
Kitsap County, WA 71 km (44 mi) SSE earthquakes near Kitsap County
Clallam County, WA 71 km (44 mi) WSW earthquakes near Clallam County
Skagit County, WA 89 km (55 mi) ENE earthquakes near Skagit County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 3.5 7 km SSW of River Road, Washington
  2. 4.0 6 km W of Quilcene, Washington
  3. 1.7 5 km SSW of Port Ludlow, Washington
  4. 1.6 2 km ENE of Port Angeles East, Washington
  5. 2.0 4 km SW of Port Ludlow, Washington
  6. 1.8 4 km SW of Port Ludlow, Washington
  7. 4.3 Port Townsend, WA
  8. 2.2 Washington
  9. 1.5 10 km NW of Friday Harbor, Washington
  10. 1.8 0 km SSE of Camano, Washington
  11. 1.6 Puget Sound region, Washington
  12. 1.6 9 km SSW of Carlsborg, Washington
  13. 1.6 10 km ESE of Orcas, Washington
  14. 1.7 6 km S of Port Ludlow, Washington
  15. 1.7 8 km WNW of Friday Harbor, 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.