QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.7ml

Earthquake near Centralia, WA

No earthquake was likely felt in Centralia in the 24 hours to 8:02 am PST (16:02 UTC). The last one was M 4.2, 78 km (49 mi) NNE, at 2:05 pm PDT on 29 September 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 9,329 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Centralia

This page: a magnitude 1.7 earthquake was recorded 29 km (18 mi) southeast of Centralia, WA, at 5:31 am PST on 22 November 2023 (13:31 UTC), 26 km deep.

USGS: 6 km S of Onalaska, Washington

59 km (37 mi) S of Lacey, WA · 126 km (78 mi) SSW of Seattle, WA

5:31 am PST, Nov 22, 2023 · · 26 km deep · released about 12 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Lewis County 26 kmCowlitz County 36 kmThurston County 48 kmWahkiakum County 60 kmColumbia County 70 kmPierce County 73 kmSkamania County 80 kmPacific County 82 kmClark County 85 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
5:31 am PST on 22 November 2023 ()
Where
29 km (18 mi) southeast of Centralia, WA · earthquakes near Centralia
Magnitude
M 1.7 (ml)
Depth
26 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Lewis County, 26 km ENE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 312 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 Centralia, 29 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: Napavine, Winlock, Chehalis.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 12 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 1,300,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 900,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 80× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.7 about 12 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. 5.2 23 km S of Morton, Washington · 41 km ESE of this epicentre
  2. 5.0 34 km SSE of Morton, Washington · 50 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 46.5167, -122.7067. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Lewis County, WA 26 km (16 mi) ENE earthquakes near Lewis County
Cowlitz County, WA 36 km (22 mi) S earthquakes near Cowlitz County
Thurston County, WA 48 km (30 mi) NNW earthquakes near Thurston County
Wahkiakum County, WA 60 km (37 mi) WSW earthquakes near Wahkiakum County
Columbia County, OR 70 km (44 mi) SSW earthquakes near Columbia County
Pierce County, WA 73 km (45 mi) NE earthquakes near Pierce 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. 2.1 6 km SE of Mossyrock, Washington
  2. 2.0 30 km N of Amboy, Washington
  3. 2.3 5 km W of Napavine, Washington
  4. 1.7 24 km N of Amboy, Washington
  5. 2.1 24 km N of Amboy, Washington
  6. 1.5 6 km SW of Morton, Washington
  7. 1.6 8 km SSE of McKenna, Washington
  8. 1.6 19 km SSE of Mossyrock, Washington
  9. 1.6 18 km SSE of Mossyrock, Washington
  10. 1.7 11 km NNW of Morton, Washington
  11. 1.8 7 km SE of McKenna, Washington
  12. 1.8 21 km SE of Toledo, Washington
  13. 2.2 4 km SE of Mossyrock, Washington
  14. 2.3 19 km E of Kelso, Washington
  15. 2.0 19 km E of Kelso, 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.