QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.7ml

Earthquake near Yacolt, WA

No earthquake was likely felt in Yacolt in the 24 hours to 2:20 am PST (10:20 UTC). The last one was M 1.6, 7 km (5 mi) SW, at 4:25 pm PDT on 19 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Yacolt

This page: a magnitude 1.7 earthquake was recorded 3 km (2 mi) west-northwest of Yacolt, WA, at 7:05 pm PST on 15 November 2023 (03:05 UTC), 15 km deep.

USGS: 2 km WNW of Yacolt, Washington

41 km (25 mi) NNE of Portland, OR · 29 km (18 mi) NNE of Vancouver, WA

7:05 pm PST, Nov 15, 2023 · · 15 km deep · released about 11 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Clark County 12 kmMultnomah County 36 kmCowlitz County 40 kmSkamania County 41 kmColumbia County 50 kmWashington County 62 kmHood River County 73 kmLewis County 79 kmClackamas County 82 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
7:05 pm PST on 15 November 2023 ()
Where
3 km (2 mi) west-northwest of Yacolt, WA · earthquakes near Yacolt
Magnitude
M 1.7 (ml)
Depth
15 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Clark County, 12 km SSW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 318 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 Yacolt, 3 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: Amboy, Lewisville, Venersborg, Battle Ground, Hockinson, Meadow Glade.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 11 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 1,400,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,000,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 89× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.7 about 11 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 17 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km; the five largest:

  1. 5.7 38 km NNE of Amboy, Washington · 42 km NNE of this epicentre
  2. 5.2 5 km E of Bridgeton, Oregon · 33 km SSW of this epicentre
  3. 5.2 37 km NNE of Amboy, Washington · 41 km NNE of this epicentre
  4. 5.1 28 km ENE of Amboy, Washington · 30 km NE of this epicentre
  5. 5.1 Washington · 44 km NNE 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 45.8735, -122.4390. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Clark County, WA 12 km (7 mi) SSW earthquakes near Clark County
Multnomah County, OR 36 km (23 mi) S earthquakes near Multnomah County
Cowlitz County, WA 40 km (25 mi) NNW earthquakes near Cowlitz County
Skamania County, WA 41 km (26 mi) ENE earthquakes near Skamania County
Columbia County, OR 50 km (31 mi) W earthquakes near Columbia County
Washington County, OR 62 km (39 mi) SW earthquakes near Washington County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.9 30 km S of Morton, Washington
  2. 1.9 39 km SSE of Morton, Washington
  3. 1.5 30 km S of Morton, Washington
  4. 2.0 5 km NW of North Portland, Oregon
  5. 1.6 3 km NNE of Washougal, Washington
  6. 1.6 5 km ENE of Prescott, Oregon
  7. 1.5 14 km NE of Amboy, Washington
  8. 2.2 0 km SE of Barberton, Washington
  9. 1.5 24 km N of Amboy, Washington
  10. 1.5 37 km NNE of Amboy, Washington
  11. 2.0 30 km N of Amboy, Washington
  12. 1.6 1 km WSW of Kalama, Washington
  13. 1.7 24 km N of Amboy, Washington
  14. 2.1 24 km N of Amboy, Washington
  15. 1.7 4 km NNE of Kalama, 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.