QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 2.7ml

Earthquake near Spokane, WA

No earthquake was likely felt in Spokane in the 24 hours to 1:51 pm PST (21:51 UTC). The last one was M 1.9, 14 km (9 mi) NNE, at 10:45 am PDT on 18 September 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Spokane

This page: a magnitude 2.7 earthquake was recorded 19 km (12 mi) west of Spokane, WA, at 10:25 am PDT on 12 September 2023 (17:25 UTC), 7.8 km deep. 97 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: Washington

19 km (12 mi) W of Spokane, WA

10:25 am PDT, Sep 12, 2023 · · 7.8 km deep · released about 380 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Spokane County 22 kmLincoln County 55 kmKootenai County 74 kmWhitman County 83 kmStevens County 84 kmBenewah County 92 kmAdams County 94 kmPend Oreille County 105 kmBonner County 109 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
10:25 am PDT on 12 September 2023 ()
Where
19 km (12 mi) west of Spokane, WA · earthquakes near Spokane
Magnitude
M 2.7 (ml)
Depth
7.8 km below the surface
Felt
97 reports · strongest reported intensity V
Nearest
Spokane County, 22 km E
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1090 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 24 km (15 mi) from the epicentre. In Spokane, 19 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: Fairchild Air Force Base, Airway Heights, Medical Lake, Cheney, Town and Country, Country Homes.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 380 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 40,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 29,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 2.5× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 2.7 about 380 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 since 1900 lists no earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km.

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 47.6458, -117.6878. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Spokane County, WA 22 km (13 mi) E earthquakes near Spokane County
Lincoln County, WA 55 km (34 mi) W earthquakes near Lincoln County
Kootenai County, ID 74 km (46 mi) E earthquakes near Kootenai County
Whitman County, WA 83 km (52 mi) S earthquakes near Whitman County
Stevens County, WA 84 km (52 mi) N earthquakes near Stevens County
Benewah County, ID 92 km (57 mi) ESE earthquakes near Benewah County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.3 8 km NE of Sprague, Washington
  2. 1.0 7 km NNE of Airway Heights, Washington
  3. 1.9 2 km NE of Fairwood, Washington
  4. 1.9 6 km ENE of Sprague, Washington
  5. 2.2 2 km NW of Mead, Washington
  6. 1.6 19 km NNW of Davenport, Washington
  7. 1.9 5 km ENE of Sprague, Washington
  8. 2.3 8 km NE of Sprague, Washington
  9. 1.7 6 km SE of Spangle, Washington
  10. 2.5 8 km ENE of Sprague, Washington
  11. 1.6 3 km ESE of Veradale, Washington
  12. 2.0 6 km ENE of Sprague, Washington
  13. 1.9 12 km N of Reardan, Washington
  14. 2.4 7 km ENE of Sprague, Washington
  15. 1.8 2 km NNE of Fairwood, 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.