QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.5ml

Earthquake near Sequim, WA

No earthquake was likely felt in Sequim in the 24 hours to 2:47 pm PST (22:47 UTC). The last one was M 4.2, 81 km (50 mi) SSE, at 2:05 pm PDT on 29 September 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 9,329 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Sequim

This page: a magnitude 3.5 earthquake was recorded 10 km (6 mi) south-southwest of Sequim, WA, at 11:25 pm PST on 14 January 2024 (07:25 UTC), 44 km deep. 110 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 7 km SSW of River Road, Washington

74 km (46 mi) NW of Seattle, WA

11:25 pm PST, Jan 14, 2024 · · 44 km deep · released about 2.5 tons of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Jefferson County 35 kmIsland County 41 kmClallam County 55 kmKitsap County 56 kmSan Juan County 56 kmMason County 73 kmSnohomish County 104 kmGrays Harbor County 111 kmSkagit County 114 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
11:25 pm PST on 14 January 2024 ()
Where
10 km (6 mi) south-southwest of Sequim, WA · earthquakes near Sequim
Magnitude
M 3.5 (ml)
Depth
44 km below the surface
Felt
110 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Measured shaking
intensity II (ShakeMap)
Nearest
Jefferson County, 35 km SW
Nearest mapped fault
Lake Creek-Boundary Creek fault, 10 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 959 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 44 km (27 mi) from the epicentre. In Sequim, 10 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.

Likely felt in: Sequim 10 km, intensity II · Port Angeles 23 km, intensity II · Port Townsend 33 km, intensity II · Coupeville 43 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 2.5 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 68,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 3,000× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 2,100× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.5 about 2.5 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 5.2× more

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 4.3 on 2023-10-09 — about 18 times the energy of this one.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists one earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.3 Eastern Olympic Peninsula, Washington · 26 km SSE 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 48.0042, -123.1667. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Jefferson County, WA 35 km (22 mi) SW earthquakes near Jefferson County
Island County, WA 41 km (25 mi) ENE earthquakes near Island County
Clallam County, WA 55 km (34 mi) WNW earthquakes near Clallam County
Kitsap County, WA 56 km (35 mi) SE earthquakes near Kitsap County
San Juan County, WA 56 km (35 mi) N earthquakes near San Juan County
Mason County, WA 73 km (45 mi) S earthquakes near Mason County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.9 5 km NNE of Port Angeles, Washington
  2. 2.1 4 km WSW of Ault Field, Washington
  3. 2.1 7 km NW of Jamestown, Washington
  4. 2.1 2 km S of River Road, Washington
  5. 1.5 5 km S of Port Ludlow, Washington
  6. 1.6 7 km NE of Quilcene, Washington
  7. 3.9 14 km SW of Blyn, Washington
  8. 3.7 16 km SSE of Victoria, Canada
  9. 1.7 35 km W of Brinnon, Washington
  10. 1.8 17 km NNW of Jamestown, Washington
  11. 1.5 5 km ESE of Quilcene, Washington
  12. 1.8 4 km SSW of Port Ludlow, Washington
  13. 1.9 6 km SSW of River Road, Washington
  14. 1.5 16 km SW of Brinnon, Washington
  15. 2.3 7 km ESE of Quilcene, 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.