QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 1.5ml

Earthquake near Yakima, WA

No earthquake was likely felt in Yakima in the 24 hours to 6:53 pm PST (02:53 UTC). The last one was M 3.1, 25 km (15 mi) SSW, at 9:23 am PDT on 11 August 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 57 felt reports to USGS. Every earthquake near Yakima

This page: a magnitude 1.5 earthquake was recorded 22 km (14 mi) west-southwest of Yakima, WA, at 11:59 am PDT on 4 April 2025 (18:59 UTC), less than 1 km deep.

USGS: 7 km ESE of Tampico, Washington

19 km (12 mi) WSW of Yakima, WA · 146 km (91 mi) SE of Kent, WA

11:59 am PDT, Apr 4, 2025 · · -0.7 km deep · released about 5.9 lb of TNT

10 km30 km60 km120 km N Yakima County 8 kmKittitas County 67 kmKlickitat County 72 kmBenton County 102 kmSkamania County 106 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
11:59 am PDT on 4 April 2025 ()
Where
22 km (14 mi) west-southwest of Yakima, WA · earthquakes near Yakima
Magnitude
M 1.5 (ml)
Depth
-0.7 km below the surface
Felt
no reports yet
Nearest
Yakima County, 8 km SSE
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 584 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 10 km (6 mi) from the epicentre. In Yakima, 22 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: Ahtanum, West Valley, Gleed, Tieton, Union Gap, Selah.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 5.9 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 2.5 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 2,500,000× the energy of this one
  2. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 1,800,000× the energy of this one
  3. Around the size people start to feel M 3.0 160× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 1.5 about 5.9 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 one earthquake of M5 or more within 50 km:

  1. 5.0 23 km ESE of Packwood, Washington · 48 km W 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 46.5210, -120.7705. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Yakima County, WA 8 km (5 mi) SSE earthquakes near Yakima County
Kittitas County, WA 67 km (42 mi) N earthquakes near Kittitas County
Klickitat County, WA 72 km (45 mi) S earthquakes near Klickitat County
Benton County, WA 102 km (63 mi) ESE earthquakes near Benton County
Skamania County, WA 106 km (66 mi) WSW earthquakes near Skamania County
Pierce County, WA 121 km (75 mi) WNW earthquakes near Pierce County

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

Aftershocks so far

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

  1. 1.6 19 km S of Kittitas, Washington
  2. 0.6 4 km SSW of Ahtanum, Washington
  3. 1.0 2 km NE of Yakima, Washington
  4. 1.2 12 km NNE of Naches, Washington
  5. 1.2 4 km WNW of Tieton, Washington
  6. 0.7 7 km W of Ahtanum, Washington
  7. 0.9 22 km SSE of Harrah, Washington
  8. 1.6 11 km N of Selah, Washington
  9. 1.5 11 km N of Selah, Washington
  10. 1.6 17 km SSW of Nile, Washington
  11. 1.5 17 km SSE of White Swan, Washington
  12. 3.1 5 km WSW of Harrah, Washington
  13. 2.3 17 km SW of Nile, Washington
  14. 1.8 9 km SSW of Ellensburg, Washington
  15. 2.6 17 km SW of Nile, 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.