QuakeIndex

explosion · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.6ml

Earthquake near Sherwood, OR

No earthquake was likely felt in Sherwood in the 24 hours to 1:20 pm PST (21:20 UTC). The last one was M 1.6, 7 km (4 mi) E, at 1:25 pm PST on 2 March 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 1 felt report to USGS. Every earthquake near Sherwood

No: USGS classifies this as a explosion, not an earthquake. A magnitude 1.6 explosion was recorded 3 km (2 mi) east of Sherwood, OR, at 1:47 pm PST on 27 January 2025 (21:47 UTC), less than 1 km deep.

USGS: 3 km E of Sherwood, Oregon

23 km (14 mi) SSW of Portland, OR · 7 km (4 mi) S of Tigard, OR

1:47 pm PST, Jan 27, 2025 · · -0.2 km deep · released about 6.6 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Washington County 32 kmMultnomah County 37 kmYamhill County 42 kmClark County 52 kmClackamas County 52 kmMarion County 54 kmColumbia County 68 kmPolk County 69 kmTillamook County 76 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
1:47 pm PST on 27 January 2025 ()
Where
3 km (2 mi) east of Sherwood, OR · earthquakes near Sherwood
Magnitude
M 1.6 (ml)
Depth
-0.2 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Washington County, 32 km NW
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 654 days ago

This was a minor earthquake. Quakes this small are rarely felt and do not cause damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 11 km (7 mi) from the epicentre. In Sherwood, 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: King City, Tualatin, Durham, Wilsonville, Stafford, Tigard.

USGS catalogues this as explosion, not an earthquake.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 6.6 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.6 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,300,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,600,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 140× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.6 about 6.6 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 3 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.6 4 km E of Scotts Mills, Oregon · 39 km SSE of this epicentre
  2. 5.2 5 km E of Bridgeton, Oregon · 31 km NNE of this epicentre
  3. 5.0 3 km SW of Portland, Oregon · 17 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 45.3598, -122.8015. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Washington County, OR 32 km (20 mi) NW earthquakes near Washington County
Multnomah County, OR 37 km (23 mi) NE earthquakes near Multnomah County
Yamhill County, OR 42 km (26 mi) WSW earthquakes near Yamhill County
Clark County, WA 52 km (32 mi) NNE earthquakes near Clark County
Clackamas County, OR 52 km (33 mi) ESE earthquakes near Clackamas County
Marion County, OR 54 km (34 mi) SSE earthquakes near Marion County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 5 km SSE of Molalla, Oregon
  2. 2.0 2 km SE of Amity, Oregon
  3. 1.9 1 km SE of Vancouver, Washington
  4. 1.5 9 km ESE of Scotts Mills, Oregon
  5. 1.6 7 km ESE of Molalla, Oregon
  6. 2.0 7 km WNW of McMinnville, Oregon
  7. 1.5 5 km WNW of King City, Oregon
  8. 1.7 7 km ESE of Amity, Oregon
  9. 1.5 4 km WNW of Camas, Washington
  10. 2.0 2 km WNW of Dundee, Oregon
  11. 1.7 8 km S of Molalla, Oregon
  12. 1.9 7 km S of Dayton, Oregon
  13. 1.6 2 km WSW of Stafford, Oregon
  14. 2.1 8 km S of Scappoose, Oregon
  15. 1.9 1 km ESE of North Portland, Oregon

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.