QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.4ml

Earthquake near Lea Hill, WA

No earthquake was likely felt in Lea Hill in the 24 hours to 3:07 am PST (11:07 UTC). The last one was M 4.2, 42 km (26 mi) WNW, at 2:05 pm PDT on 29 September 2026, estimated intensity III (weak) in town; 9,329 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Lea Hill

This page: a magnitude 3.4 earthquake was recorded 6 km (4 mi) south-southeast of Lea Hill, WA, at 3:45 am PST on 22 February 2025 (11:45 UTC), 25 km deep. 1,640 people have reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: 6 km SSE of Lea Hill, Washington

6 km (4 mi) ESE of Auburn, WA · 41 km (26 mi) SSE of Seattle, WA

3:45 am PST, Feb 22, 2025 · · 25 km deep · released about 2 tons of TNT

Every earthquake near Lea Hill Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Pierce County 25 kmKing County 33 kmKitsap County 56 kmThurston County 64 kmMason County 78 kmLewis County 79 kmSnohomish County 91 kmIsland County 106 kmKittitas County 112 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
3:45 am PST on 22 February 2025 ()
Where
6 km (4 mi) south-southeast of Lea Hill, WA · earthquakes near Lea Hill
Magnitude
M 3.4 (ml)
Depth
25 km below the surface
Felt
1,640 reports · strongest reported intensity IV
Measured shaking
intensity III (ShakeMap)
Nearest
Pierce County, 25 km S
Nearest mapped fault
Tacoma fault, 2 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 556 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 52 km (32 mi) from the epicentre. In Lea Hill, 6 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: Auburn 7 km, intensity II · Bonney Lake 12 km, intensity II · Kent 14 km, intensity II · Enumclaw 14 km, intensity II · Federal Way 14 km, intensity II · Maple Valley 15 km, intensity II · East Hill-Meridian 15 km, intensity II · Puyallup 15 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 tons of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.4 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 86,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 3,800× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 2,700× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.4 about 2 tons of TNT
  5. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 this one released 4.1× 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

No earthquake of M4 or more has been recorded within 50 km since our catalogue begins in 2016.

Before 2016, the USGS record lists 5 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 6.8 The 2001 Nisqually, Washington Earthquake · 46 km WSW of this epicentre
  2. 6.7 4 km WNW of Roy, Washington · 45 km SW of this epicentre
  3. 6.7 1 km ENE of Dash Point, Washington · 21 km WNW of this epicentre
  4. 6.1 Puget Sound region, Washington · 48 km WNW of this epicentre
  5. 5.0 3 km WSW of Des Moines, Washington · 21 km NW 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 47.2760, -122.1417. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Pierce County, WA 25 km (16 mi) S earthquakes near Pierce County
King County, WA 33 km (21 mi) NE earthquakes near King County
Kitsap County, WA 56 km (35 mi) NW earthquakes near Kitsap County
Thurston County, WA 64 km (40 mi) SW earthquakes near Thurston County
Mason County, WA 78 km (49 mi) W earthquakes near Mason County
Lewis County, WA 79 km (49 mi) SSW earthquakes near Lewis County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.7 7 km ENE of Manchester, Washington
  2. 2.1 4 km E of Enumclaw, Washington
  3. 1.7 17 km NE of Ashford, Washington
  4. 1.6 2 km WSW of Kapowsin, Washington
  5. 1.7 2 km SSW of Kapowsin, Washington
  6. 1.7 3 km NNE of Dash Point, Washington
  7. 1.6 2 km S of Kapowsin, Washington
  8. 1.9 3 km SE of Gorst, Washington
  9. 1.6 1 km NNW of Boulevard Park, Washington
  10. 1.8 1 km NNW of Maple Valley, Washington
  11. 1.7 2 km NNE of Enetai, Washington
  12. 1.6 1 km SW of Burien, Washington
  13. 1.8 8 km ESE of Carbonado, Washington
  14. 1.8 1 km S of Kapowsin, Washington
  15. 1.8 8 km NE of Fall City, 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.