QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.8ml

Earthquake near Port Angeles, WA

No earthquake was likely felt in Port Angeles in the 24 hours to 2:23 am PST (10:23 UTC). The last one was M 4.2, 96 km (60 mi) SE, at 2:05 pm PDT on 29 September 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 9,329 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Port Angeles

This page: a magnitude 1.8 earthquake was recorded 26 km (16 mi) northeast of Port Angeles, WA, at 2:40 pm PST on 21 January 2025 (22:40 UTC), 45 km deep.

USGS: 17 km NNW of Jamestown, Washington

95 km (59 mi) NW of Seattle, WA

2:40 pm PST, Jan 21, 2025 · · 45 km deep · released about 16 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N San Juan County 27 kmIsland County 39 kmClallam County 57 kmJefferson County 58 kmKitsap County 80 kmMason County 102 kmSkagit County 103 kmSnohomish County 107 kmWhatcom County 116 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
2:40 pm PST on 21 January 2025 ()
Where
26 km (16 mi) northeast of Port Angeles, WA · earthquakes near Port Angeles
Magnitude
M 1.8 (ml)
Depth
45 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
San Juan County, 27 km N
Nearest mapped fault
Southern Whidbey Island fault, 5 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 660 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 Port Angeles, 26 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: Sequim, Port Angeles East.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 16 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.8 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 970,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 680,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 61× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.8 about 16 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 4.3 on 2023-10-09 — about 5,600 times the energy of this one.

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 48.2722, -123.1640. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
San Juan County, WA 27 km (16 mi) N earthquakes near San Juan County
Island County, WA 39 km (24 mi) ESE earthquakes near Island County
Clallam County, WA 57 km (35 mi) WSW earthquakes near Clallam County
Jefferson County, WA 58 km (36 mi) SSW earthquakes near Jefferson County
Kitsap County, WA 80 km (50 mi) SSE earthquakes near Kitsap County
Mason County, WA 102 km (64 mi) S earthquakes near Mason County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 2.9 2 km ESE of Oak Harbor, Washington
  2. 2.2 5 km NW of Orcas, Washington
  3. 2.4 4 km SSW of Anacortes, Washington
  4. 2.4 11 km S of Metchosin, Canada
  5. 1.8 4 km SSW of Anacortes, Washington
  6. 1.7 2 km S of River Road, Washington
  7. 1.6 2 km W of Port Townsend, Washington
  8. 1.5 7 km WNW of Friday Harbor, Washington
  9. 2.7 12 km WSW of Anacortes, Washington
  10. 1.8 8 km W of Ault Field, Washington
  11. 1.6 3 km N of Langford, Canada
  12. 1.8 10 km S of Victoria, Canada
  13. 2.3 5 km SSE of Esquimalt, Canada
  14. 2.9 8 km SW of Port Angeles, Washington
  15. 1.7 6 km SW of Saanichton, Canada

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.