QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.7ml

Earthquake near Seattle, WA

No earthquake was likely felt in Seattle in the 24 hours to 7:04 am PST (15:04 UTC). The last one was M 4.2, 37 km (23 mi) SW, at 2:05 pm PDT on 29 September 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 9,329 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Seattle

This page: a magnitude 1.7 earthquake was recorded 24 km (15 mi) west of Seattle, WA, at 6:53 pm PST on 24 January 2023 (02:53 UTC), 26 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: Puget Sound region, Washington

22 km (14 mi) W of Seattle, WA

6:53 pm PST, Jan 24, 2023 · · 26 km deep · released about 9.3 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Seattle Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Kitsap County 1 kmMason County 50 kmIsland County 59 kmKing County 63 kmJefferson County 69 kmPierce County 74 kmThurston County 78 kmSnohomish County 81 kmSan Juan County 104 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
6:53 pm PST on 24 January 2023 ()
Where
24 km (15 mi) west of Seattle, WA · earthquakes near Seattle
Magnitude
M 1.7 (ml)
Depth
26 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Kitsap County, 1 km N
Nearest mapped fault
Seattle fault, 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 1311 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 Seattle, 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: Tracyton, Silverdale, Rocky Point, Chico, Erlands Point-Kitsap Lake, Enetai.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 9.3 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.7 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 1,600,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,100,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 100× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.7 about 9.3 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 2017-02-23 — about 4,400 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 5 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.7 1 km ENE of Dash Point, Washington · 38 km SSE of this epicentre
  2. 6.1 Puget Sound region, Washington · 26 km SSW of this epicentre
  3. 5.8 Puget Sound area, Washington · 43 km SSW of this epicentre
  4. 5.3 Eastern Olympic Peninsula, Washington · 33 km NW of this epicentre
  5. 5.0 3 km WSW of Des Moines, Washington · 34 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 47.6273, -122.6488. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Kitsap County, WA 1 km (1 mi) N earthquakes near Kitsap County
Mason County, WA 50 km (31 mi) SW earthquakes near Mason County
Island County, WA 59 km (37 mi) N earthquakes near Island County
King County, WA 63 km (39 mi) ESE earthquakes near King County
Jefferson County, WA 69 km (43 mi) WNW earthquakes near Jefferson County
Pierce County, WA 74 km (46 mi) SSE earthquakes near Pierce County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.1 3 km SSE of Quilcene, Washington
  2. 2.1 10 km WNW of Longbranch, Washington
  3. 1.5 2 km NNW of Federal Way, Washington
  4. 1.6 Puget Sound region, Washington
  5. 2.1 Puget Sound region, Washington
  6. 1.5 Puget Sound region, Washington
  7. 1.8 4 km S of Seabeck, Washington
  8. 1.7 Puget Sound region, Washington
  9. 2.1 14 km N of Hoodsport, Washington
  10. 1.7 Puget Sound region, Washington
  11. 1.5 3 km SSE of Quilcene, Washington
  12. 2.5 11 km SW of Brinnon, Washington
  13. 1.7 6 km S of Port Ludlow, Washington
  14. 1.7 3 km NNW of Edmonds, Washington
  15. 1.6 4 km NW of Edmonds, 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.